What's Wrong With Usagi?
by OdangoHead
Summary: *COMPLETE* Usagi has been acting very strangely lately & Motoki is getting worried. Unfortunately, Mamoru has a hunch about what happened... & it's not good. R&R Onegai! (I don't own SM!!!)
1. Chapter One Something's Wrong

Chapter 1  
  
"Don't you EVER wear different clothes?" Usagi looked up from the Sailor V video game where she was helping a little girl play.  
  
"Oh? Odango Atama... I didn't know you cared!" Mamoru grinned as he walked into the arcade. "I think the only question now is 'Why did you notice?' Hm?"  
  
"Baka!" She scoffed, tossing a rag used to clean the screens at him. "I noticed because not only is your fashion sense offensive to MY eyes, but to all of Tokyo!"  
  
"And I value the opinion of a 15 yr old SO much!" Mamoru sneered sarcastically. "... Especially one that looks like you."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I should've figured that you couldn't wrap your small brain around a comment like that... What I meant was that someone with such a bizarre & stupid hairstyle as yours shouldn't be lecturing anyone on appearances."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Usagi shrugged him off.  
  
"So, tell me, Odango Atama. How do you like working here at Crown? This is your first job, ne?"  
  
"Hai. It's fun working here."  
  
"Why now?"  
  
"What's it to you?" Usagi asked suspiciously.  
  
"I was just wondering..." Mamoru said innocently. Usagi smiled & was about to explain when Mamoru continued. "... How a such a lazy teenager decided she wanted a job."  
  
Usagi groaned. "You're still a teenager yourself!"  
  
"Ahh. That may be so, but only for another month. Then I'll turn 20 & become an adult."  
  
"You'll be one but I doubt you'll act like one." Usagi shot. "And by the way, I'm not 15 anymore, I turned 16 the day before yesterday."  
  
"Oh, congratulations."  
  
"Wow. That ALMOST sounded sincere!"  
  
"Come now, honestly, why did you choose now to get a job?" Mamoru asked.  
  
"Do you REALLY want to know?" She asked curiously & he nodded in reply. She giggled a little & pulled up a stool next to him, glancing around to make sure no kids were within earshot. "My family... left yesterday... for a summer-break-long vacation!"  
  
"And..."  
  
"And I, of course, can't go with them because I have my new job & I need to be responsible." Usagi winked.  
  
"It seems to have worked out pretty well for you then, ne? But you know, being alone, for any amount of time isn't always what it's cracked up to be." Mamoru warned.  
  
"Aw... well don't you worry your pretty little head about it! I won't be alone for this evening & many more this summer, I assume."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"It is! /I/ have a date tonight."  
  
"You surprise me, Odango Atama. Perhaps your parents should have named you 'Kitsune' instead of 'Usagi'!" He laughed. Usagi rolled her eyes & undid her apron. [A.N. 'Kitsune' means 'Fox' | 'Usagi' means 'Rabbit']  
  
"Well isn't this a surprise, to finally see you two getting along!" Motoki grinned as he walked over.  
  
"Don't be fooled. We still hate each other." Mamoru said & Usagi agreed.  
  
"I know, I know, you were rehearsing for a play, right?" Motoki grinned.  
  
"Not exactly..." Usagi laughed. "But I have a date tonight, can I book off early?"  
  
"Only if you tell me who's your date." Motoki said.  
  
"Just a boy..." Usagi smiled sweetly. "He's in the grade ahead of me."  
  
"What's his name?" Mamoru asked.  
  
"I'm not about to tell a couple of 19 year olds about everything that's going on in my life. Juts wait & see, maybe we'll stop by here someday this summer."  
  
"You seem pretty serious about this guy." Motoki said.  
  
"He's really great. He's a sweet guy." Usagi smiled.  
  
"You know, Odango Atama, often times when we really like someone we refuse to acknowledge any of their bad points." Mamoru said. Gosh he was annoying. "You just want to imagine that he's perfect."  
  
"Interesting words coming from a man whose thoughts have never gotten that far with any of the women he's slept with." Usagi pointed out. "Besides, I don't think he perfect. I know perfectly well that he's going to have a few quirks that I won't like. He's only human." She said. "I've got to go... I'm meeting him in an hour."  
  
"Well, have fun! I'll be expecting to here all about it tomorrow morning." Mamoru grinned. Usagi turned & began to leave.  
  
"Usagi-chan, WAIT!" Motoki called out. "Be careful, okay? Even nice guys can turn into wolves when you're alone with them."  
  
"Don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself & anyone else who comes my way." She turned back around & walked out the door, excited about her date.  
  
*~*~*~*1 Week Later*~*~*~*  
  
"Where's Odango Atama? Is she not here again?" Mamoru asked Motoki as he walked into the arcade. Usagi had missed the entire week of work since her date.  
  
"Nope. She must still be sick." Motoki replied. "I'm a little worried actually, she's all alone. Can you come with me to her house? I'm going to see how she's doing."  
  
"What about Crown?"  
  
"It's still too early for customers. They won't even start coming for another 2 hours, so I'll just close it for now." Motoki answered. "So how about it?"  
  
"Fine. I'll come with you, but only because I want to know how her date went."  
  
Motoki put out the 'CLOSED' sign & locked the arcade's doors & they were on their way. The two men arrived at Usagi's house about 10 minutes later. They had to knock on the door 3 different times before she finally answered.  
  
"Good morning Usa-" Motoki stopped mid-sentence as he & Mamoru's jaws dropped. "You look awful!"  
  
"You really aren't feeling well, are you? I thought you were just faking it because you're too lazy to come to work." Mamoru teased. His expression changed as he studied her more closely, however.  
  
Motoki couldn't stop staring at Usagi. She was dressed in baggy clothes, a pair of jogging pants and a sweater that went down almost to her knees. But even so, he could tell she had lost some weight, he had always worried about how thin she was before. Her face was gaunt & she had dark circles under her eyes. There also seemed to be the faint remnants of a bruise on her right eye, & a crack in her lip.  
  
"What are you staring at?!" The usually cheerful Usagi was strangely cruel to her blonde-haired friend. She took a self-conscious step back.  
  
"What happened to your face?" Mamoru asked suspiciously.  
  
"I passed out the other day & hit my head on the corner of the couch." Usually Usagi would smile & blush in embarrassment but she didn't this time... she remained tense & glared at the two men.  
  
It seemed like a true enough story so Motoki let it go, but it still seemed strange to Mamoru & he made a note of it.  
  
"Usagi-chan..." Motoki began uneasily. "What's the matter, do you have a fever?"  
  
He reached out to feel her forehead but just as he was about to Usagi cried out. She slapped his hand away & shrank back. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"  
  
"Usagi-chan, I- I'm sorry!" Motoki wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. He & Mamoru stared in disbelief at her.  
  
Usagi flushed lightly when she realized how she was acting. She brushed away the tears that had quickly come to her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm cranky when I'm sick."  
  
"It's alright. I was just worried because you've missed so much time."  
  
"I'll be back to work soon. Don't worry." She forced herself to smile convincingly & they left.  
  
*~*~*3 Days Later*~*~*  
  
Over the next few days Mamoru thought of Usagi's strange behaviour & appearance almost constantly. It seemed as though the more he tired not to think about it... the more he did. On the 3rd day of his wondering about her, Usagi came back to work. Her bruise was no longer visible & her lip had healed, but other than that she looked the same as when they had seen her 3 days earlier.  
  
"Usagi-chan, are you SURE you're feeling better?" Motoki asked worriedly.  
  
"Hai."["Yes."] She closed her eyes as she nodded & swallowed hard. "Daijoubu." ["I'm fine."]  
  
"You still look like hell." Mamoru walked over to her.  
  
"Well, thank you." Usagi frowned. Motoki left to greet some customers, glancing like a nervous older brother in Usagi's direction every 30 seconds.  
  
"You still haven't told me about your hot date." Mamoru grinned as usual.  
  
"It's not important. We went to a movie & took a walk in the park. That's it. Nothing special. Just a regular, everyday, run-of-the-mill, date." Usagi laughed & looked around the room.  
  
"Hm..." Mamoru watched her eyes dart around. "Such a pity that it was such an ordinary date."  
  
"Yeah. Oh well. I better get to work." She started to walk off but Mamoru grabbed her wrist. She turned around sharply & shook her arm loose. She held her breath uneasily as she stared up at him. "Nani?" ["What?"]  
  
"Can I talk to you later?.. Just the two of us?" Mamoru chanced it, he didn't even need to ask. Judging by her actions, he already knew her answer.  
  
"Not on you life!" Usagi frowned at him angrily. "The LAST thing I want to do is go somewhere alone with a guy like you! Now, excuse me. I need to get to work."  
  
"Alright then. I'm sorry to keep you from getting your work done." Mamoru backed off. Usagi's words bothered him though. He wasn't sure why he cared so much about how she was acting anyway. But he was beginning to suspect what was wrong... & if he was right he'd have to help her out... she would need it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He-yo, minna! How is it so far? I hope you are enjoying it. This is my first fic like this... so be kind & review, I need to know how to make it better! ^_^ 


	2. Chapter Two The Talk

Chapter 2  
  
"Usagi..." She heard someone say her name as she walked out of the arcade. It was already 9:00 & getting dark out.  
  
"Who's there?!" She asked alarmed.  
  
"Relax, Odango Atama." Mamoru said from his spot by the doors, leaning against the wall. "I just want to talk."  
  
"I'm tired, I want to go home. I DON'T want to waste my time talking to a guy like you." Usagi glared at him coldly.  
  
"Please. Motoki is very worried about you, if you haven't noticed, if you give me a few minutes of your time I can assure him that nothing is wrong."  
  
"But, nothing IS wrong." Usagi said.  
  
"I'll decide that for myself, thank you very much. Now, please... lets go up to the fruit parlour, there's always someone there, so you don't have to worry about being alone with 'a guy like me'." He smiled.  
  
"Why are you being so nice?.." Usagi asked cautiously.  
  
"Is there something wrong with me trying to be nice for once?"  
  
"Yes. I'd be much more comfortable if you were a cold jerk like usual." She admitted.  
  
"But I'm not always a cold jerk. Right now just so happens to be one of those times that I'm not."  
  
"Why do all guys do that?" Usagi asked as they sat down.  
  
"Do what?" Mamoru asked.  
  
"Act nice & caring so as to fool others into trusting them."  
  
"Not all guys do that."  
  
"Oh? And I suppose YOU are the only guy who doesn't do that?"  
  
"No. I'm not going to say that. I HAVE done that before, lots of times, really. But Motoki isn't like that; he's genuinely worried about you right now. I'm here because to be completely honest, I'm worried about you too."  
  
"Hah. Spare me your phoney concern. YOU worried about ME? Motoki-niisan I believe, but YOU!" She got up to leave but Mamoru grabbed her wrist & pulled her back down.  
  
"Wait!" He said to a wide-eyed Usagi. "Why are you dressed like that? Big, loose sweaters & baggy pants."  
  
"I just felt like it."  
  
"It's JULY. No one feels like wearing such heavy clothes."  
  
"Well, I do." She said angrily. "Is that all you dragged me here for or do you have something else you want to ask?"  
  
"I have lots of questions for you."  
  
"Like..."  
  
"Like, why haven't you been eating?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Don't play dumb. I'm in med school. I can tell that when an already thin girl loses 10 pounds inside of a week that she hasn't been eating."  
  
"I've been sick."  
  
"Like how?"  
  
"I don't know! Just sick!" Usagi said sharply. "I haven't really felt like eating that much & when I did eat I ended up losing it within about 10 minutes anyway."  
  
"You would do what, vomit?"  
  
"Yes! Why does this matter?! Can I please go home now?"  
  
"Not yet. Was it your idea?"  
  
"My idea to do what? Throw up? Definitely not! That's disgusting! You're disgusting!"  
  
"Sorry, Usagi. I'm just trying to find out what's wrong. Maybe I can help you get better."  
  
"I doubt it." She snapped.  
  
"Next question; how did you get that mark on your face & that cut in your lip?"  
  
"I already told you that."  
  
"Right." Mamoru said. "You passed out & hit your head. You passed out because you were sick, huh?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Wrong. People don't just fall down & get black eyes & cracked lips."  
  
"Oh, is that so? Then PLEASE tell me, with all the knowledge you possess with your TWO YEARS of Medical School, how do YOU think I got my black eye?"  
  
"I think someone hit you."  
  
"That's preposterous!" Usagi said angrily. "Nobody hit me."  
  
"Now you're getting defensive."  
  
"Of course I'm getting defensive. You can't just go around making wild accusations & saying whatever you want!"  
  
"Are they so wild?" He cocked an eyebrow. Remaining calm throughout all of Usagi's outbursts.  
  
"Who do you think would've hit me?!"  
  
"That boyfriend of yours, perhaps."  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
"Why haven't you told us about your date, Usagi?"  
  
"Because it's none of your business. And stop calling me by my name. You don't know me well enough to be referring to my by my first name alone."  
  
"I've known you for 2 years, is that not long enough?"  
  
"Long enough, but not well enough."  
  
"What would you rather I call you? Odango Atama?" He suggested.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"I don't know... just don't say my name at all."  
  
"Alright then..." Mamoru frowned a little at her weird suggestion. "So, about your boyfriend-"  
  
"He's NOT my boyfriend." She interrupted.  
  
"Oh? He isn't? Did he break up with you? Is that why you're so moody?"  
  
"No, no, & no." Usagi said. "I don't know why anyone would even want to be associated with scum like him."  
  
"So he DID break up with you." Mamoru couldn't help but be relieved.  
  
"No. But there's no way I'm going out with him again."  
  
"What did he do? You thought so highly of him before your date. You said he was great, 'a sweet guy'."  
  
"Well, I guess you & Motoki-niisan were right." She glared harshly at Mamoru. "Are you satisfied? Is that what you wanted to hear?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"A wolf..." She said quietly. She looked down at her hands in her lap. "A wolf... in men's clothing..."  
  
"Oh God..." Mamoru stared at her as she began to shake violently. "Usagi..."  
  
"Please... just let me... go home." She whimpered. "And don't tell anyone anything... especially Motoki-niisan."  
  
"I promise. Do you want me to walk you home?" Mamoru asked. "Would you feel safer?"  
  
"No. If it's all the same, I'd rather be alone." She looked up at him. Not exactly looking at his eyes, more like a spot on the wall behind his head. "Mamoru-san... can I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course." He smiled.  
  
"How... how did you-"  
  
"I was top of my class in psychology. And physical clues were enough to send out an alert."  
  
"I see." She said quietly.  
  
"Can I ask you something, now?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Will you promise me that you'll eat something? You really look awful."  
  
She smiled a little. "Alright. I'll try."  
  
"Start with healthy stuff, too. If you pig out with junk food it will only make you feel sicker." He smiled.  
  
"Okay." She got up & left the fruit parlour quickly, her arms folded across her chest as she walked home.  
  
"Oh God..." Mamoru fell back into his seat & held his head in his hands. "I think I'm going to be sick." After about 10 minutes he got up & left Crown FP, going down the stairs, past the arcade.  
  
"Mamoru?" Motoki asked as he locked the doors to the Crown Arcade. "Are you okay? You look pale."  
  
"Yeah. I'm okay."  
  
"Did you talk to Usagi-chan? I saw you waiting for her."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I did."  
  
"Well, what's wrong?"  
  
"It was just a flu in my opinion. Or maybe she didn't cook a meal well enough. She's going to eat now. She promised me she'd eat healthier food, too."  
  
"That's such a relief! I was beginning to get really worried. I thought that something bad had happened to her."  
  
"Well, I'm going home now. See you tomorrow, Motoki." Mamoru smiled & left hastily.  
  
"See you tomorrow." Motoki didn't seem to notice that Mamoru avoided eye contact. He always did that when he was lying.  
  
*~*~*~*5 Days Later*~*~*~*  
  
"Okay. I'm a little freaked out." Motoki admitted.  
  
"Why?" Mamoru asked.  
  
"Because. It's so quiet. You & Usagi-chan aren't fighting. In fact, you're hardly speaking to each other. AND, when you do it's always brief, quiet conversations that end when anyone gets even remotely within earshot."  
  
"Oh? I didn't really think about it that much. I'm just making sure that she's eating right, & feeling better." Mamoru said. It was the truth, wasn't it?  
  
"It's just strange. Since that day that you talked to her you've been acting so weird. Since when were you so protective of her?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You watch her like a hawk & stare down ANY guy that comes in here." Motoki pointed out. "You two aren't... dating? Are you?"  
  
"Of course not! She's 4 years younger than me."  
  
"Well, then what's going on?"  
  
"Nothing. Don't worry so much."  
  
"Why is she dressing like that still? And how come she doesn't look at anyone when she's talking to them?"  
  
"How should I know? The weather has been stormy lately, she's probably just dressing warm."  
  
"I guess... at least she looks healthier than she did a week ago. That was just plain scary."  
  
"Yeah." Mamoru agreed.  
  
"She still doesn't smile though..." Motoki continued.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I wonder why..."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Mamoru! Are you even listening to what I'm saying?!" Motoki asked, insulted.  
  
"Yeah." Mamoru replied. "Sorry, Motoki. My mind wandered to something else for a moment." He rubbed his eyes. "I haven't been getting much sleep."  
  
"I've noticed. Everyone seems tired lately. Usagi-chan must still be feeling a little sick, she still has bags under her eyes, she mustn't be sleeping well either."  
  
"No. I would suppose not. I'll see you later. I'm going to swing by the University & check something out, okay?"  
  
" 'Kay." Motoki replied.  
  
"I'll be back soon."  
  
"See you later." Motoki replied as Mamoru quickly spoke to Usagi & left. 'Since when does he tell her about where he's going?'  
  
*~*~*2 Hours Later*~*~*  
  
Usagi was once again helping a little girl with the Sailor V game that she herself used to play every spare chance she got. Mamoru just came back from the University & was talking to Motoki at the counter. Usagi had finished work an hour ago but stuck around a little longer helping out the kids on games.  
  
"Arigatou, Usagi-neesan!" A little girl smiled. ['neesan' is used for someone who is like an older sister. 'niisan' is used for someone who is like an older brother]  
  
"No problem. I like helping, I was once new at this game too, but Motoki- niisan helped me." Usagi smiled at the small girl. "Only a few years ago..." she smiled again & left her to play on her own.  
  
"Usagi-chan, are you going home now?" Motoki asked.  
  
"Yeah. I'm dead-tired." She yawned.  
  
"Are you going to be okay? Maybe Mamoru could walk you home in case you faint."  
  
"Well... If she doesn't want me to its fine, I don't have to if you don't want me to Usagi." Mamoru looked from Motoki to Usagi.  
  
"No. Please come." Usagi said quietly. "I'd feel safer."  
  
Mamoru blinked. "O-okay then. Let's go." He waited until they were walking outside to ask her. "Why?"  
  
"I've had this funny feeling all day... I'm afraid that I'll see him."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll keep him away if he shows up." Mamoru smiled to cheer her up.  
  
"Arigatou." Usagi replied. She turned away from looking up at him & froze dead in her tracks as unwanted tears immediately sprung to her eyes.  
  
"Usagi? What's wrong?" Mamoru stopped & looked over at the girl. She was beginning to shake again, although he could tell how hard she was trying to keep herself steady. He followed her gaze to a few boys that looked about her age walking down the street towards her.  
  
"Katsuo..." She whispered. "It's Katsuo..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, minna, here's ch.2. I STILL haven't said what happened to her, but if you haven't guessed yet it will be explained soon. Personally, I don't think this fic should be rated R, but it shouldn't be rated pg13 because of what happens later, it'd be more of a PA15 (if it was a movie) Anyway, please R&R. *~*And one more thing: This story isn't based on fact or anyone's life, ESPECIALLY not on mine.*~* 


	3. Chapter Three Katsuo

A.N. I'd like to stress once again that this is NOT being written from personal experience, in case someone who knows me reads this & gets worried. I don't know if Katsuo is a name from another anime, if it is it's just a coincidence. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any of its characters.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Katsuo..." Usagi whispered. "It's Katsuo..."  
  
"Usagi-chan..." One of the boys said coolly as they walked closer. He was tall & had pale blond hair that came down to about around his ears. He had light green eyes & a cocky grin on his face. "I haven't seen you in a while." He stopped, motioning to his 2 friends to continue on without him.  
  
"Ka- Katsuo." She shrunk back as he stood in front of her.  
  
"Where have you been?" He asked as he brushed his hand across her cheek & down her arm.  
  
She tensed up & Mamoru had just about all he could take of Katsuo. "Hey! Don't touch her."  
  
"And who are you?" Katsuo looked up at him.  
  
"A friend. That's all you need to know." Mamoru said.  
  
"A friend? Isn't he a little old for you Usagi-chan?"  
  
"..." Usagi tried to speak but found no sound coming out of her mouth. She couldn't move, she was shaking & didn't even look up. She closed her eyes against nightmarish flashbacks, but they came anyway. Tears began to stream down her face.  
  
"Get out of here." Mamoru stepped between them & glared down at Katsuo.  
  
"Heh." Katsuo scoffed. "And here I thought that it was some big conquest... but you'll give it to anybody, won't you Usagi-chan?" He grinned. "Whore."  
  
Usagi broke down & fell to her knees in the middle of the empty street. She began to sob uncontrollably like she had every night for the past 2 weeks. Mamoru saw red as he grabbed the younger boy by the collar of his shirt & slammed him up against the wall. "TAKE. THAT. BACK." Rage filled his entire body & his blood pumped hard.  
  
"No." Katsuo grinned.  
  
Mamoru put him down but still held onto his shirt & punched him in the face. Katsuo fell to the ground with a bleeding nose. Mamoru lifted him up again but he heard a whimper from Usagi & dropped him.  
  
Katsuo snuck away while Mamoru went to Usagi & his back was turned. "Usagi..." He said softly. "Usagi, are you alright?" Dumb question, she OBVIOUSLY wasn't.  
  
"I want to go home." She whimpered. She was kneeling on the ground, hunched over with her arms wrapped around her chest. "I want... to go home."  
  
"Okay, Usagi. I'll take you home. Here, let me help you up." He put his hands around her shoulders to help her but she cringed at his touch as if it burned her. He immediately let go. "I'm sorry!"  
  
Usagi slowly got up on her own. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve & Mamoru offered her a handkerchief. "Thank you." She said quietly. She blew her nose & handed it back to him, he pretended not to notice & put it out of his mind for the moment.  
  
"Do you want me to walk you home still?" He asked.  
  
"Yes." They continued walking towards her house. She kept her head down & her arms folded across her chest.  
  
"Are you cold?" Mamoru asked her.  
  
"No..."  
  
They walked in silence for a few more minutes. "You know... Usagi... don't listen to what that guy said to you. Okay? He's wrong." Mamoru tried to comfort her.  
  
"But-"  
  
"No. Listen to me! He's wrong! YOU are one of the nicest people I know. Even though I'm a jerk to you sometimes, I don't mean it. You're kind & caring & HE is a cocky bastard that deserves to be shot!"  
  
"But he isn't wrong! I AM a whore! I should've done more to stop him! There was so much I could've done!" She stopped walking & tears formed in her eyes. "I..."  
  
"Stop, Usagi, please." Mamoru said softly. "It WASN'T your fault. Even if you didn't tell him 'no'... if you had would he have stopped?"  
  
"May-"  
  
"NO. He wouldn't have. Say it."  
  
"No..." She cried. Mamoru didn't know what to do. She looked so fragile & small; he wanted to protect her, to make everything better again... but he couldn't.  
  
He couldn't even touch her without her cringing & pulling away. He hated seeing her like this. If he had known that this would happen he would've been nicer to her from the beginning. Maybe then she would've taken his words of warning more seriously. Maybe she wouldn't have gone out that night with Katsuo...  
  
He walked her up to her door but stood a few steps away from her so that she didn't feel threatened. "Usagi... did you tell anyone else? A girlfriend of yours maybe? Like Naru or one of the other girls?"  
  
"No... I didn't want anyone to know." She whispered as she stood in her doorway.  
  
"I'm worried about you. I don't like you being alone all the time." Usagi smiled weakly. She found it funny. She didn't like being all alone either, but she didn't want to be around anyone else. She was so confused. She was about to go inside but she paused again at the doorway. "Mamoru- san..."  
  
"Yes?" He asked.  
  
"I... I just- wanted you to know... that I did." She said.  
  
"Did what?"  
  
"I said 'no'. I told him no."  
  
"I know you did." He smiled softly. She walked into her house & closed the door behind her. Mamoru stared at her door until he heard the click of it locking before he walked away.  
  
*~*~*~*2 Weeks Later*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey Motoki, hi girls!" Mamoru smiled as he sat down in the arcade. Usagi's 5 friends were about to leave. "Where are you going?"  
  
"We're going to the beach. We were trying to get Usagi-chan to leave work early." Minako explained.  
  
"Oh, come on, Motoki! Let her go to the beach with her friends if she wants. I'll fill for her if she's needed that badly." Mamoru said.  
  
"I told her to go. She said no. She made up some excuse about not having a bathing suit." Motoki defended himself.  
  
"Oh." Mamoru realized that she was afraid of being in a bathing suit in front of all of the guys that would obviously be at the beach on such a hot day. "I guess it can't be helped then if she doesn't have a suit. Have fun girls!"  
  
"Thanks! Bye!" Naru called out as the 5 girls left.  
  
"Where is Usagi, anyway?" Mamoru looked around.  
  
"She must be in the bathroom. She hasn't been feeling well again. I thought you said she was aright?"  
  
"What do you mean she isn't feeling well again?" Mamoru asked. "Have you noticed any guys with light blond hair & green eyes around here lately?"  
  
"Like me?"  
  
"No, younger, with REALLY light blond hair, almost white. His name starts with a 'K' I think."  
  
"Nope, no one like that. Not that I remember, at least."  
  
"Hm..." Mamoru paused as he thought. "Where's the girl's washroom here?"  
  
"You're not going to walk in are you?!"  
  
"I'm just going to see if she alright. I'll be right back." Mamoru said over his shoulder as he spotted the washroom. He knocked on the door. "Is anyone in here?" He called out. "Usagi? Are you alright?" He assumed that it was empty & walked in when no one else said anything.  
  
"Mamoru?" He heard Usagi's voice. "Why are you in the girl's bathroom?"  
  
"Are you sick?"  
  
"Yeah. I haven't been feeling good the past few days. I think I've got the flu for real now." She laughed weakly.  
  
He winced as he heard her get sick again. "Are you being honest? You didn't run into that guy again?"  
  
"No. I haven't seen him since." She replied. "I'll be right out. Don't worry about me so much... it's creepy."  
  
Mamoru laughed. He was glad to see that Usagi was slowly getting better. She was a lot more comfortable around him now... she was finally beginning to trust him a bit, but no one else. He found it ironic how he was now so close & protective of the one girl that he used to tease & bicker with mercilessly.  
  
"How's she doing?" Motoki asked.  
  
"She figures that she's got the flu."  
  
"Is that all?"  
  
"Yeah, that's all she said so I assume that's all. She also said that it was creepy that I was worried about her, so she's got to be fine." Mamoru laughed.  
  
"Good to hear." Motoki grinned.  
  
"I'm so sorry about that." Usagi walked out of the washroom.  
  
"So you think that you have the flu?" Motoki asked.  
  
"Yeah... or it could be..."  
  
"What?" Motoki urged her to say.  
  
"Mamoru-san's going to get mad at me." She whined.  
  
"Say it." Mamoru said. "I won't get mad."  
  
"There were really good prices at the grocery store yesterday... & so I bought a bunch of stuff & stayed up almost all night making curry." She admitted.  
  
"How did you manage to stay up all night?"  
  
"I ate lots of ice cream." She looked down.  
  
Mamoru groaned & Motoki laughed. "Are you still feeling sick?" Motoki asked.  
  
"A little." She replied.  
  
"You can go home, then. It's not going to be a very busy day here anyway."  
  
"I've missed so much time already, though."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm not going to fire you." Motoki laughed.  
  
"Go see your doctor to make sure you don't have the flu & then get some sleep for goodness sakes!" Mamoru said.  
  
"Alright. See you two later." She left.  
  
"It still bothers me..."  
  
"What?" Mamoru asked him.  
  
"Usagi-chan used to be so direct with people. This past month she's changed so much, she doesn't smile as much, blows off going to the beach & STILL doesn't look people in the eye. Not even you."  
  
"Maybe she's just getting lonely. Her family has been away for a whole month already." Mamoru said. "At least she's wearing t-shirts in the hot weather."  
  
"Yeah, at least she's not wearing big sweatshirts." Motoki agreed.  
  
"I'm going to head home now. Just call me if things get to crazy here & I'll come help out, okay?"  
  
"Sure thing. Bye Mamoru."  
  
"Bye Motoki."  
  
*~*~*The Next Day*~*~*  
  
"Hello?" Andrew picked up the phone. "Hi Usagi-chan."  
  
Motoki-niisan? Usagi asked.  
  
"Yup, that's me. Are you alright?"  
  
I'm fine, could I have Mamoru-san's phone number, please. I have to talk to him.  
  
"Sure thing." Motoki told her the phone number. She thanked him & they said goodbye.  
  
Usagi hung up the phone with little bunny stickers on it as she sat on her bed. She looked at Mamoru's number that she had just written down & dialled it quickly as she chewed on her lower lip.  
  
Hey. It's Mamoru. His voice said on the other end of the line. Who's this?  
  
"Mamoru-san... It's Usagi." Her voice cracked a little.  
  
What's wrong? Are you okay?! He asked.  
  
"I'm sorry but I didn't know who else to call! I got your number from Motoki-niisan!" She began to excuse herself.  
  
Is everything all right? He didn't like how the panic in her voice was growing.  
  
"No. It's the opposite of alright." She began to cry. "My life is over!" She hung up the phone before Mamoru could say anything.  
  
Mamoru began to panic, himself. He quickly left his apartment & got into his car, driving as fast as he could to Usagi's house. "Usagi? It's me. Mamoru! Please let me in! What's wrong?" He banged on the door until she opened it.  
  
"Mamoru-san!" She cried & fell into his arms, sobbing.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What a place to stop, huh? Don't be mad, okay? It's midnight, & I'm tired! In the meantime, go read more of my fics! (I know, I know. I'm a shameless self-promoter! ^_^; ) Anyway, I'll be updating soon. If you STILL don't know what happened to Usagi just say so in a review & I'll clear it up. Don't be shy; I don't always explain things as well as I think I do. ^_^ Ja ne! ^_~ 


	4. Chapter Four Usagi's Decision

Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any characters. The wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, & talented Naoko Takeuchi-sensei created them!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"You're pregnant." Mamoru stated what she had just told him. He sighed. Mamoru was trying to let it sink in. Usagi. Pregnant. "Oh God..." He whispered into his hands. This was another one of those times that he had wanted to cry in the past month.  
  
"I'm sorry." Usagi was crying on her couch.  
  
"Usagi, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault." No matter how many times he said that to her, it never seemed to help. "It will be all right."  
  
"How?!" Her head shot up when she shouted. "HOW is this EVER going to be all right?! When is it going to end?!" She clutched onto a cushion & sobbed bitterly into it.  
  
"You've got lots of options..." Mamoru began, hardly believing that he was talking to HER about this.  
  
"Like what? You want me to kill my baby?!" Actually saying the words 'my baby' was a bit of a shock to her, herself. "My baby?" She asked herself.  
  
"Usagi..."  
  
"MY baby. What am I supposed to do with a baby? I don't know how to take care of a baby. I hardly know how to take care of myself! I stay up all night eating ice cream & curry! I still play ARCADE games!" Panic was setting in again as Usagi began to realize the severity of her situation. "I just turned 16 last month."  
  
Mamoru watched her as she curled up on her couch. She was still a kid herself. What did she ever do to deserve this? "Well, like I said; you have options. There's keeping it, adoption, or you could terminate the pregnancy..."  
  
"I don't know what to do. I'm so lost." She said sadly. "What am I going to say to my parents? How can I tell them? How can I face them now... now that I've..."  
  
"Usagi, they're your parents. They'll understand." Mamoru soothed.  
  
"They can't understand. Nobody can understand what it was like. You can't try to tell me that you know what it's like."  
  
"No. I guess not. But I AM here for you Usagi. If you need anything at all, I'll be there."  
  
"Thank you." Usagi smiled. "I guess I have some thinking to do."  
  
"Usagi, about that guy. You have to tell someone. You can't let him get away with what he did to you."  
  
"No. Don't tell anyone, Mamoru-san!" Usagi begged. "I don't want anyone to know!"  
  
"Don't be afraid. Do you want this to happen to other girls?"  
  
"Of course not! But- can I just wait a little longer? Maybe? Just until I'm ready?"  
  
"I guess so." He sighed. "You should call your parents, Usagi."  
  
"I can't. There isn't a number I could reach them at. It's one of those remote, never-heard-of-before, retreats." Usagi said. "Would you like some tea?"  
  
"Um... sure." Mamoru followed her to the kitchen so they could keep talking while she made tea. "You have a nice house. It's cleaner than I would've expected..."  
  
"I clean when I feel anxious & restless." She explained.  
  
"I see... Hey, so this is your brother, huh?" He looked at a picture on the fridge. "He looks like you."  
  
"Does he really?" Usagi smiled a bit as she looked at the picture. "We've never really thought so..." She said. "I'm really such an idiot. I should've gone with them. I would have been having fun & laughing finding shells & pretty stones along the beach with Shingo. I would've been happy."  
  
"You couldn't have known that this would happen."  
  
"But it did all the same. What is he going to think of me now? What kind of example have I set for my little brother..?"  
  
"Listen, maybe we can't understand what you're going through, but everyone will be able to understand your situation, it's true. Family will never turn their backs on you. He won't think any less of you."  
  
They sat down & began to drink the tea. "So... it's your birthday soon, ne?" Usagi asked.  
  
"Yeah. Four more days." He replied. It was July 31st & his birthday was August 3rd.  
  
"What do you have planned?"  
  
"Nothing much." He said.  
  
"Really? I thought that you would have big plans for your 20th birthday."  
  
"Nope." They were both feeling awkward in their normal conversation. It was nice to be talking about such a simple thing, & it wasn't nearly depressing, but this was the first time they had ever really sat down & talked. "How is high school?"  
  
"Good, hard, but good. How's university?"  
  
"Same as always. But it's still fun. The professors are really great & the other students are too."  
  
"So I see..." There was more silence. "I have to admit something. I sort of knew that I was pregnant for the past week or so. I didn't know for sure or anything, & I was hoping that I was wrong, but I knew no matter how much I tried to deny it."  
  
"I was going to ask you if you had suspected anything earlier. So you knew it wasn't the flu?"  
  
"I hoped that it was. But the doctor confirmed that it wasn't."  
  
"Did you at least tell the doctor what happened?"  
  
"She was busy."  
  
"You should talk to her again. She can run some more tests in case of STDs."  
  
"What?" Usagi blinked & went a few shades paler. Mamoru knew he had to say it, but he inwardly cursed himself for adding another worry to her list. "I never thought about that."  
  
"Are you going to be alright?" Mamoru asked. He had to go to the University so he was leaving.  
  
"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." She replied.  
  
"Okay, I'll see you then." He smiled but paused before he left. He held out his hand to her. "Promise me that you'll be safe. Don't hurt yourself."  
  
Usagi looked down at his outstretched hand. "Okay." She hooked his pinkie- finger with hers & shook his hand.  
  
He laughed at the fact that she was still like a little kid, but it hurt him deep down too. Once again, he waited outside her door until he heard it lock to leave.  
  
Usagi double-checked the lock. "Good." It was locked. She went upstairs & poured herself a bath. She felt dirty, even though she had taken a bath the night before as usual & that morning. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried she could not get clean. She undressed & looked at her body in the mirror. It didn't look different to her... but she knew it was. She slipped into the warm water & stayed there for a while. She still had so many questions, questions that didn't have answers. "Mama, Papa..." She said softly. "... Look at your little girl now... I'm so sorry."  
  
*~*~*~*3 Days Later*~*~*~*  
  
Usagi walked into Crown and calmly sat down on a stool. She spoke to Motoki for a while, but she still felt so ashamed, she refused to look in his eyes. She blamed herself for blowing off his warning on that fateful day.  
  
"Usagi-chan!" Minako & Makoto walked in & smiled, happy to see their friend that had been hiding for so long.  
  
"Minako-chan, Mako-chan, hello." She smiled. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"We came to play video games, of course!" Minako said cheerfully. "Ami-chan & Rei-chan are upstairs buying drinks."  
  
"That's nice." Usagi smiled. She missed talking to her friends. She decided to push her current problems aside until Mamoru arrived; she had to talk to him about something.  
  
"So, what have you been up to lately?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Not much..." Usagi laughed nervously. She felt guilty about distancing herself from her friends. "I've been working a lot."  
  
"Usagi-chan!" Ami & Rei walked in with two drinks each.  
  
"I wish we had known you'd be here right now. I would have bought you a drink." Rei said.  
  
"That's alright. Unazaki-chan brings some drinks down every once in a while. I'm not thirsty anyways." Usagi said.  
  
"So, how have you been?" Rei asked her.  
  
"She's been sick as a dog the past month." Motoki came up from behind them.  
  
"What?" The girls all gasped.  
  
"He's over exaggerating. I've been feeling much better lately. Today especially."  
  
"Usagi-chan, are you sick?" Ami asked.  
  
"You don't have a disease or anything do you?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Maybe she's diabetic with all of those sweets that she eats." Rei said.  
  
"No. No. It's not like that. I don't have any diseases." Usagi explained. She saw Mamoru walk through the door and she felt afraid & relieved at the same time. "Pardon me a moment." She excused herself & walked over to him.  
  
"What's going on with them?" Minako asked.  
  
"I don't really know. They've been pretty close this past month. They're always whispering things in the corner. Neither of them will tell me what's going on but they've both been acting strangely." Motoki replied.  
  
"Why don't you go over there & ask them?" Rei suggested.  
  
"I've tried that before. They always give some lame excuse."  
  
Naru came inside the Arcade & waved to Usagi as she joined Motoki & the girls. "What's going on with them? I thought they hated each other."  
  
"So did we." Makoto said.  
  
"Mamoru-san. I have to talk to you." Usagi said as she approached him.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I've been thinking about it a lot the past few days & I've made my decision."  
  
"Oh? What have you decided?" Mamoru asked. She was surprisingly calm at the moment. He assumed it had to do with her friends.  
  
"I want to keep the baby, if my parents will let me. I don't want to kill it & I don't want to give it away. Even under the circumstances, I could never live with myself if I made any other choice."  
  
"I'm proud of you, Usagi. But just know that with that decision comes a big responsibility. There aren't any days off, it's a full-time job."  
  
"I know." Usagi said. "I understand."  
  
"Even if the baby has his same green eyes..." Mamoru wanted to make sure she had thought this absolutely through.  
  
"I've already thought about that. Even if it's a boy, even if it looks just like Katsuo, it will still be MY baby & I'll love it no matter what."  
  
"Usagi, you surprise me."  
  
"I do?"  
  
"You're incredibly strong for someone your age who has to deal with what you've been through recently."  
  
"You surprise me too."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"You have a lot of sense & you always seem to be able to help me out." Usagi said.  
  
"Uh-oh. It seems your friends have convinced Motoki to come see what we're talking about." Mamoru looked up & saw him.  
  
"That's it. I've GOT to find out what you 2 are always talking about over here!" Motoki said.  
  
"It's nothing. We were just-" Mamoru began to make up an excuse.  
  
"I'm pregnant." Usagi said. She figured that there was no avoiding it & that Motoki was going to find out soon enough. Both men's jaws dropped. Motoki couldn't believe what she had said & Mamoru couldn't believe she had told him. "Don't tell anyone yet. Nobody else knows."  
  
"WHAT?!" Motoki asked in disbelief. "You've GOT to be kidding?"  
  
"That's what's been going on. She only found out a few days ago, though." Mamoru said.  
  
"You?" Motoki's eyes narrowed & focused on Mamoru. Mamoru was his best friend, but Usagi was like a little sister. He drew back his hand & formed a fist, bringing forward & upwards, hitting Mamoru in the face. Usagi screamed & the 5 other girls ran over.  
  
"Oniisan!" Usagi shouted. "No! It wasn't him!" She grabbed onto Motoki's arm. "Stop! Please!"  
  
"What's going on?!" Naru asked as the 5 girls stood wide-eyed.  
  
"What?" Motoki looked over at Usagi. "What did you say?"  
  
"It's not his baby!" Usagi clasped her hands over her mouth as tears sprouted to her eyes. She was afraid of what her friends would think of her now. They must be so disgusted & ashamed.  
  
"What?!" The girls gasped.  
  
"Usagi-chan! You're pregnant?" Ami was sure she had heard her wrong.  
  
"No way. It CAN'T be true. It's Usagi!" Rei said.  
  
"She's smarter than that!" Minako agreed. Makoto nodded.  
  
"We heard wrong... didn't we, Usagi-chan?" Naru asked her.  
  
Motoki helped Mamoru up & the seconds felt like hours. "I'm sorry!" Usagi cried. She ran from the arcade in tears.  
  
"Usagi!!!" Mamoru pushed past everyone else & chased after her.  
  
"Usagi-chan!" The others called.  
  
"How?" Motoki asked as he sat down heavily & rested his head in his hands. "How could I not have known that something was wrong when she called here?"  
  
The girls were all upset & feeling awful about how they had just reacted. "If it wasn't Mamoru-san... then who was it?" Ami wondered.  
  
"I don't know..." Rei sighed.  
  
"I feel awful." Minako hid her face in her hands. "WHY did I have to say that?!"  
  
Naru's head suddenly snapped up. "Maybe..."  
  
"What is it?" everyone looked at her.  
  
"Well, what happened to that guy she was going out with? Maybe it was Katsuo-san." Naru said.  
  
"I haven't seen him around for like, a month or so. It couldn't have been him." Minako said.  
  
"Wait a second..." Motoki realized. "What does he look like?"  
  
"Green eyes, light blonde hair." Ami told him.  
  
"Was that the guy that Usagi-chan was dating a month ago?!" Motoki gasped. He thought of Usagi's strange behaviour since that day.  
  
"Yeah." Rei said.  
  
"It was him. It's got to be him. Usagi-chan's been so angry & depressed since their date. I'm such an idiot for letting her go. And for not realizing that anything was wrong!"  
  
"So you mean that... he..." Minako tried to say it but her voice broke as she felt tears trickle down her cheek.  
  
"You think that Usagi-chan was raped?" Rei asked.  
  
"It seems that way." Motoki felt sick.  
  
"Katsuo..." Makoto said angrily. "I'm going to send that bastard to Hell where he belongs!" She began to leave but Rei grabbed her arm.  
  
"Wait!" Rei said. "Not without me."  
  
"Or us." The other girls said. "We'll make him sorry for what he did." Minako clenched her fist tightly with tears still in her eyes.  
  
"First... we should find Usagi-chan, though." Naru said as she wiped her eyes.  
  
"She's right. We've hurt Usagi-chan the most right now." Ami said as she stood up & dried her eyes as well.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Mamoru looked down the street in the direction that Usagi had ran but couldn't see her. He kept on going until he found her sitting around a corner, curled up into a ball as she sobbed into her knees. "Usagi. Thank God!"  
  
"I'm awful. The girls were right. I was so stupid to have this happen." Usagi whimpered. "I trusted him."  
  
"You're not stupid. They didn't mean what they said." Mamoru kneeled down in front of the broken girl.  
  
"You always tell me that it's not my fault. It IS. Just let me finally say it. It WAS & IS my fault. I should have known better. Just like they said. Now I will just have to accept responsibility for my mistake."  
  
"Usagi..." Mamoru stared at her, thinking all about how she seemed so fine only 10 minutes earlier.  
  
"Usagi-chan."  
  
They both looked up to see her friends. Usagi immediately looked away. She was ashamed of herself. "Usagi-chan, we're sorry. We didn't know."  
  
"Do you hate me now?" Usagi whispered. They looked so upset with her.  
  
"Of course not! Usagi-chan! Don't even think such a think! We could never hate you!"  
  
"You'll get through this. We'll help you." Mamoru said.  
  
"No matter how long it takes." Motoki said. "Okay?"  
  
"Thank you." She was glad to have such supportive friends but she still hid her face. She felt as if it were all happening over again. 'This will never end...' She said to herself inside her mind.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I've got to stop there for now, minna. I need to sleep & I just know that I'll end up writing another page to my original story before I fall asleep. Please review. I'm glad that so many people have been writing such supportive reviews. When I started this fic I wasn't sure how anyone would react to it. I can't really write from personal experience, I could only imagine what it would be like for a girl in Usagi's position, but I've been doing some research. I also find that I'm the most like Usagi out of all the characters, & being the same age, it helped a lot in writing how I feel she would react. 


	5. Chapter Five Family

A.N. Sorry that it has taken so long for me to get this chapter out. Between babysitting, work & a totally cool girls night with my 4 friends, I've been busy lately. PLUS, I've been having trouble with FF.net. Guess which song I'm listening to right now: 'Papa Don't Preach' (Madonna version) it sort of fits with the story, lol. NEway, enjoy my fic. Review, onegai! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any of its characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. ^_^;  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Did you hear what happened to Katsuo-san?" Two boys were talking as they walked into the arcade. Motoki instantly tilted his head to hear the conversation.  
  
"No, what happened? I only heard that he was brought to the hospital." The second boy said.  
  
"Apparently he was attacked by a gang on his way home last Tuesday." The first boy said. "He didn't say anything else though. He refuses to say who it was."  
  
"I didn't even know that there were any gangs in Juuban."  
  
"Me neither."  
  
"How bad was he hurt?" The second boy asked.  
  
"Pretty bad. He looks like Hell. He's got some broken ribs & a broken wrist, & his face is all cut & bruised." The 1st boy answered. Motoki couldn't help but burst into laughter, earning a strange look from the 2 boys & the other people in the arcade.  
  
*~*FLASHBACK - Tuesday*~*  
  
Makoto waited around a corner from where Katsuo was at a friend's house. It was ten o'clock & thanks to Naru's eavesdropping, she knew that he would have to leave soon.  
  
He's coming your way! Naru told Makoto over a little wrist communicator Ami had given them.  
  
"Thanks, Naru-chan." Makoto replied.  
  
Be careful! Naru said before slipping out of her spot in a tree further down the street & running off. She had to provide an alibi for all of them in case they were suspected.  
  
Makoto tugged at her shirt & made sure her hair & make-up were all right. "Perfect." She smiled in satisfaction at herself in her compact. Katsuo turned the corner & crashed into her. "Oops! I'm so sorry." She batted her eyes innocently, in his arms. "I wasn't watching where I was going."  
  
"It's okay. It was my fault." Katsuo replied. "You're Makoto-chan, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes. That's me." She smiled. "Actually... I have to admit... I was waiting for you."  
  
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, as he looked her up & down. She forced to keep the disgusted look from showing on her face, not to mention slugging him before the right time. "Is that so?"  
  
"Yes. I've been thinking about you a lot lately." The plan they had been working on for a week was going perfectly so far.  
  
"And..." He smiled.  
  
"And I've been talking to my friends about you too. Rei-chan REALLY wants to see you too."  
  
Rei stepped out of the shadows of an alley & walked over slowly. "Hey." She smiled seductively.  
  
"Hey." He gulped. 'Wow! I'm so lucky.' Katsuo thought to himself.  
  
"Why don't you come with us?" Rei grabbed one hand lightly & Makoto took a hold of the other.  
  
"We'll give you a night that you'll never forget." Makoto grinned slyly as they led him to the dark alley.  
  
"That's for sure." Ami & Minako stepped out from either side of him.  
  
"What's going on?" Katsuo looked around, still with an amused grin on his face. STILL not cluing in.  
  
"We know what you did to Usagi-chan." Rei grabbed onto his hand tighter & hit him up against the wall.  
  
"We don't like people who hurt our best friend." Ami said.  
  
"You're going to pay for laying your hands on her." Minako closed in.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." He played dumb.  
  
"Shut-up!" Makoto's fist hit him hard across his face.  
  
"Doesn't hurt." He groaned. "Is that all you got?"  
  
"Hardly." Rei laughed. Minako & Rei both grabbed an arm & threw him to the ground. She kicked him in the side.  
  
"Aren't you going to fight back?" Ami pulled his head up by his hair to face her own. "... Little boy?"  
  
"Yeah, come on. Give us your best shot!" Makoto pulled him up by his shirt collar. "You don't really want to beaten by four girls... especially ones that are younger than you!"  
  
"You'll be a laughing stock!" Minako taunted him.  
  
Makoto pushed him to provoke Katsuo more. That was all she needed to do because he lunged at her with his fist clenched. She ducked & easily dodged it, punching him in the stomach & knocking the wind out of him in the process.  
  
Katsuo fell to the ground, holding onto his stomach. Ami kicked his back. "Aw... are we hurting you?" She stomped her foot down on his wrist as he screamed in pain.  
  
"Can you feel it yet?" Rei teased.  
  
"How about this?!" Minako kicked him hard in the ribs.  
  
"And this?!" Rei kicked him again.  
  
"Get up & fight!" Makoto shouted. "Is that all you got?" She repeated his earlier words. "Come on! Hit me!" Ami & Rei lifted him up off the ground, standing him up as they all stood around him.  
  
Katsuo managed to get one hit on Makoto before she struck him down again. After more kicks & punches from the 4 girls, they let him lay crying & bleeding in the alley. "Tell anyone about us... & we'll come back for you again." Ami threatened him.  
  
"With more people." Minako added.  
  
"We won't let you off so easy next time." Makoto sneered.  
  
"This was nothing compared to what you did to Usagi. I promise you... you will regret that day for the rest of your life." Rei pushed his face down into the dirty pavement of the alley before they walked off.  
  
*~*END FLASHBACK*~*  
  
That had happened about 2 weeks earlier. It was now one week before school started, and 1 day before Usagi's family was due to return home. Usagi was almost 2 months along & was dreading her family's arrival home. She had heard about what had happened to Katsuo, part of her was glad, but the other part didn't see how it had helped. It hadn't changed the past, what he had done to her. It didn't change the future either, she was still pregnant, and she was still going to have his baby... her baby.  
  
"I can't do this." She said to herself. "I can't tell them. They'll be so ashamed of me. I've disgraced my family!" She looked around the kitchen and saw the knives inside of a half-open drawer. "I should just end it all right now. Before I have to face them. Before I have to face Shingo, Mama, & Papa."  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"No! Stop!" Mamoru woke up from a terrible nightmare & sat up in his bed. He had beads of sweat over his entire body & the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.  
  
He shakily stood up & walked over to his phone. He quickly dialled Usagi's number. "Usagi?" He asked as she answered.  
  
Mamoru-san? Usagi asked in reply.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Yes. Why?  
  
"I just got a little scared. I had a nightmare& it really fried my nerves. Are you SURE you're fine?"  
  
Yeah.  
  
"Would you care if I came over for a little while?"  
  
Well...  
  
"PLEASE, Usagi!" He begged.  
  
Okay. For a little while... She gave in.  
  
"I'll be right over." Mamoru hung up & quickly got ready. That dream of his really was a shock to his system... suppressed memories were flooding back & he figured that it would be safer to walk than to drive.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"What's wrong?" Usagi asked as she opened the door.  
  
"I don't like you staying here all alone." Mamoru looked around the empty room as he walked into her house. "It's dangerous."  
  
"I keep my doors & windows locked. Nobody can get in."  
  
"I'm more worried about YOU than someone else hurting you."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Usagi felt guilty as she remembered her thoughts right before he had called.  
  
"I had a nightmare."  
  
"I know, you told me when you called." She said. "Why does it have you so worked up?"  
  
"Usagi, promise me that you won't try to hurt yourself." He grabbed her hand lightly. "Please, promise me."  
  
"Mamoru-san, you're scaring me." Usagi's eyes brimmed with tears & she took a step back from him as he still held onto her hand.  
  
"Promise me." Mamoru repeated.  
  
"Alright. I promise." She said.  
  
Mamoru sighed in relief. "You can come to me if you ever need anything. No matter what it is, I'll help you out, okay?"  
  
"O-okay." Usagi stuttered, still confused about why he was acting so weird.  
  
"Alright. I'll see you later." Mamoru smiled and left.  
  
*~*~*The Next Day*~*~*  
  
"Shingo?" Usagi walked into her room after dinner & found her brother sitting on her bed. "What are you doing in my room?"  
  
"You've been avoiding me since we got home this morning... are you mad at me?" Shingo looked up at Usagi as she hung up clothes in the closet so that she wouldn't have to look at him.  
  
"No. I'm not mad at you."  
  
"Well, are you mad that you don't have the house to yourself anymore?"  
  
"That's not it."  
  
"Well then what is it?"  
  
"Did Papa & Mama put you up to this?"  
  
"No. It's just that I haven't seen you in two months & I was excited to see you again & you act like this."  
  
"You were looking forward to seeing me again?" Usagi looked at him for the first time that day. "You missed me?"  
  
"Of course. You're my big sister." Shingo laughed. "Didn't you miss me?"  
  
"Yes." She admitted.  
  
"So how is you job going? Have you been fired yet?"  
  
"No. As a matter of fact I HAVEN'T been fired. I've been doing a good job."  
  
"The house was clean. I was surprised. The only time you usually clean is when you're depressed over failing your exams."  
  
"Yeah." Usagi looked absent-mindedly out her window.  
  
"I'm going to go get some ice cream... do you want to come with me? I still have to tell you about all of the stuff that happened on vacation." Shingo stood up from her bed & walked to her door.  
  
"Maybe next time." She smiled.  
  
"Are you sure... isn't ice cream your favourite food?"  
  
"It is... but I don't really feel like having any right now." She pulled some money from her pocket. "Here. My treat."  
  
"Thanks! I think I'm going to like having a sister with money." Shingo laughed & went to go buy ice cream.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Usagi sighed as she sat in her room. Shingo was still out & her parents were downstairs watching TV. She took a deep breath & walked down the stairs to her parents.  
  
"Are you alright, Dear? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Ikuko (her mom) immediately noticed her pale face & shaking body.  
  
"Mama, Papa, I have something that I've got to tell you. I was going to say over dinner but I don't want Shingo to know yet."  
  
"Well what is it, Sweetie?" Kenji (her dad) asked.  
  
"I have a little problem..." Usagi wrung her hands nervously in her lap as she sat down. Kenji turned off the TV. "You see... after you left... something happened..."  
  
"Did you get fired?" Kenji asked.  
  
"If that's the problem, you don't have to worry so much. It's just an arcade." Ikuko smiled.  
  
'Why does everyone assume that I'm going to get fired?' Usagi thought to herself. "No. I haven't been fired. It's worse than that..."  
  
"Worse? Did you break something?" Ikuko asked.  
  
"No. I'm- I'm-" Usagi shook more & stuttered horridly. She was so afraid of her parent's reactions to what she was about to tell them. "I know this isn't something you ever would've expected, & I know that it will make you angry...but..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I'm pregnant." Usagi squeezed her eyes closed tightly, not able to look at the shocked expressions on her parents' faces.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Mamoru-san." Usagi whimpered. "You said I could come to you for anything, right?"  
  
Right.  
  
"I need your help... can I come to your place right now? Would you mind?"  
  
Of course I wouldn't mind. Do you want me to pick you up?  
  
"That wouldn't be the best idea... I'll see you soon... thank you so much Mamoru-san."  
  
No problem. Are you all right?  
  
"No. I'll explain everything when I see you." Usagi hung up the phone & quickly scribbled something down on a piece of paper; she left it on her bed. Usagi crept over to her door & listened to her parents' voices talking in their bedroom... her mom was crying. She slipped quietly out of her bedroom & down the stairs, a backpack over one shoulder as she slipped on her shoes & snuck out the front door.  
  
She ran most of the way to Mamoru's apartment & he met her outside the building. She sobbed into his chest as she tried to tell him what had happened. He invited her up & poured her some tea. "What happened?" He asked after she had calmed down.  
  
"I told them." Usagi said quietly. "I told them... & they didn't like it too much. They kept on saying things like 'How could you?' & 'I thought you were smarter than this.' I didn't know what to say. I had to get out of there."  
  
"Did you tell your brother too?" Mamoru asked.  
  
"No. I couldn't face him. My parents must've told him by now. He probably got home right after I left." Usagi said sadly. "Do you know what he said to me, today? He said that he missed me. How can I face him again..?"  
  
"You'll have to face him eventually... you can't stay away from home forever. Plus, he'll miss you even more if he doesn't know where you are."  
  
Usagi looked down.  
  
"You ran away from home?" Mamoru guessed the obvious.  
  
"I couldn't tell them what really happened. My mom asked me who was the father & I was so ashamed... I couldn't think straight, all I could say was 'I don't know!' even though I knew. Of course, saying THAT just made it worse." Usagi said. "I told them that I wanted to keep the baby & they said that I couldn't as long as I lived in their house so I left."  
  
"Where are you going to stay?" Mamoru asked her.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You don't know?" Mamoru blinked. "You can stay here if you want. I wouldn't mind." He offered.  
  
"But... you're a man..."  
  
"You can trust me, Usagi. I won't hurt you, & I won't let anyone else hurt you either."  
  
"What if people found out that a pregnant girl was living with you? They would think that you were the one..."  
  
"I don't care about that. I don't care about pointing fingers & strangers talking behind my back. We both know the truth, anyway. What I DO care about is having you somewhere safe, I don't want you to have to start living on the streets or something like that."  
  
"But-"  
  
"I know it's hard for you to say yes because I'm a man & not the type of person that you would feel secure being alone with right now... but give me a chance to prove myself. I was the first one that knew about your situation, didn't I help you out a lot then?"  
  
"Yes." She answered. "Alright. I'll try it for a little while."  
  
"You won't regret it, Usagi. You can have my room, there's a lock on it if it would make you feel more secure, I can crash on the couch." Mamoru said.  
  
"I can't take your room from you. I'll be fine on the couch."  
  
"Nonsense. There is no way I'm making you sleep on a couch. The bed will be better for your back, anyway."  
  
"Thank you, Mamoru-san."  
  
"You don't have to call me that. You can just call me Mamoru." He smiled at her & she smiled back.  
  
"Mamoru-sa- I mean- Mamoru... can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure. Ask away." He said as he discretely removed all of the sharp objects from his room & the adjoining bathroom.  
  
"Why do you care so much? Why are you so concerned about me?" Usagi asked.  
  
Mamoru stopped what he was doing & walked over to her slowly. "Usagi, there's something I should tell you... about my past."  
  
Usagi looked nervously at him as he pulled out a picture of a girl, who looked about her age with long black hair & dark green eyes. She took a step back, her immediate thoughts of Mamoru once doing the same thing as Katsuo. The picture looked too old though... from at least ten years ago. She looked up at him, puzzled.  
  
"Her name was Miyako. She was my sister at a foster home that I used to live at." Mamoru said.  
  
"Foster home?" Usagi blinked.  
  
"My parents were killed in a car accident when I was little. I was the only one who survived so I was sent to an orphanage & eventually moved in with a foster family. Miyako-neechan was a foster child there as well. She looked out for me when I was teased at school & we were pretty close, even though she was 6 yrs older than me." Mamoru explained.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"She committed suicide, on March 7th, 9 years ago. I found her, the morning of her birthday."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Usagi handed the girl's picture back to him. "That's awful."  
  
As Mamoru took the picture from her he grabbed on to her hand. "She killed herself... because she was being raped. It was the only way she felt that she had out. After all of the times she helped me I couldn't help her... I don't want to make that same mistake again." He said. "THAT'S why I care so much. If I can help you at all I want to."  
  
"Mamoru..." Usagi placed a hand on his arm. "You've helped me so much already." She hugged him, for only the 3rd time since she had known him. She had a problem trusting guys... but with Mamoru, she felt safe.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, not much more to go now. I hope you enjoy my fic so far, please review. The next part will probably skip pretty far ahead, a few months at least. Please stay tuned. ^_^ 


	6. Chapter Six Mamoru's Nightmare

A.N. He-yo minna! I finished 'Idols' so now I can give this fic my complete attention! (Except for work, & my original story, & all my friends, & family... well, close enough! ^_^;) I hope you enjoy it, please review. This takes place after Usagi has been living together with Mamoru for a few months. ^_^ (Oh yeah! BTW, I feel bad about making Usagi's parents have a bad reaction to the news, since they're based on Naoko Takeuchi-sensei's parents & I don't like writing about how people I don't know act... but for the sake of the story it's what I did.)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any of its characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. ^_^;  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"Usagi, I'm home!" Mamoru called as he walked through the door of his- THEIR apartment.  
  
"Welcome home!" Usagi called from the living room where she was watching TV.  
  
"Here. I bought you something on the way home." He grinned.  
  
"Eh?" She blinked as he handed her an ice cream cone. "Ice cream!"  
  
"So... what are you watching?" Mamoru asked as he sat down beside her.  
  
"Anime."  
  
"I can see that." He laughed. "What's it about?"  
  
"It's a romance one." She began to explain. "It's so sad!"  
  
"Whoa! Their both guys!" Mamoru looked away quickly.  
  
"That doesn't matter! Love surpasses all obstacles!" Usagi protested. She paused as something dramatic happened in the show.  
  
"What? You're crying now?" Mamoru was only slowly getting used to living with a girl. All of these emotions & stuff were hard to understand sometimes. "Why are you crying?"  
  
"It's just so sad!"  
  
"Come on. They're men! There are better things to watch than stuff like this." Mamoru could scarcely believe he was talking to his pregnant 16-year- old roommate who was getting over-emotional about the latest plot twist in a shounen ai anime.  
  
"But it's so much more complicated than that! You see-!"  
  
"What? What is it? What's wrong?!"  
  
Usagi laughed at him. "The baby kicked... that's all."  
  
"It kicked?" Mamoru looked over at her.  
  
"Yup. She's been kicking the heck out of me all afternoon. It was making me so sick! Remind me to put her in soccer." She laughed more.  
  
" 'Her?' " He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I just have a feeling that it's a girl."  
  
"Will you be disappointed if it's not?"  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"Just checking... so, is 'she' still kicking?"  
  
"Nope... for now."  
  
"I'm going to make some dinner. You hungry?" Mamoru got up from the couch & walked over to the kitchen.  
  
"Yes." She laughed.  
  
*~*~*A Few Days Later*~*~*  
  
"Who was that that just called?" Mamoru asked as he walked in the door from university.  
  
"Naru-chan. I swear that they've all worked out some sort of weird schedule of calling me every few days to see how everything's going." Usagi answered him as she hung up the phone.  
  
"Well, since you've stopped working in the evenings & refuse to go to school I'm not surprised that they'd be worried. Plus the fact that you've moved in with me."  
  
"That's not something that I'M worried about." Usagi smiled.  
  
"How's the little soccer star?" He laughed as he set his books down on the table.  
  
"Kicking away like always." Usagi laughed back. "There she goes again!"  
  
"Usagi... would you mind... if I felt it?"  
  
"I guess not." She blushed, still a bit nervous about being around him so often. But she trusted him more than anyone else so she didn't worry.  
  
Mamoru put his hand gently on her stomach. "Haha! There it is!" He smiled. "Amazing isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You seem to be in a lighter mood lately."  
  
"It's because the rest of me is getting heavier." Usagi joked. "I don't really know what it is... I think it's just being able to really think about the fact that there is actually something living inside me... you know, like when we went to the doctor's & we got to hear the little heartbeat & everything. It's really awesome."  
  
"Tell me about it." He smiled. "So you're really okay with this, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. I mean... when I first found out I was so distraught, I couldn't believe that I would have to go through all this, but now I'm really starting to believe that I'll be alright."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that." Mamoru smiled. "I brought you another surprise today... do you want to see what it is?"  
  
"Okay! Where is it?"  
  
"Right outside the door, let me get it."  
  
"You left it in the hallway!! What if someone stole it?!"  
  
"Somehow... I doubt that." Mamoru grinned. "Close you eyes."  
  
Usagi did as she told & sat impatiently on the couch. "Hurry up." She grumbled in a joking manner.  
  
"Surprise." She heard a familiar voice say... but it wasn't Mamoru's. Usagi's eyes shot open in a flash & looked up at Shingo standing in front of her.  
  
"Shingo!" Usagi gasped. She didn't know what else to say, she juts stared, barely blinking.  
  
Shingo made the first move & leaned down, giving her a big hug. "I've missed you."  
  
"Me too." Usagi cried as she hugged him back. "How have you been?" Mamoru left the room quietly so that the 2 siblings could talk alone.  
  
"We're starting work for our exams in school. But, I should be asking you that." Shingo sat down beside her on the couch.  
  
"Alright." She replied. "Mamoru's a good roommate." Usagi laughed a little.  
  
"Yeah? He seems like a nice guy... after all he's the one who found me today on my way home from school & picked me up to see you." Shingo smiled.  
  
"He did?"  
  
"Yeah. He gave me his cell phone & told me to tell mama & papa that I was going to a friend's house to study & that I would be back later tonight." Shingo told her. "Usagi... why did you leave?"  
  
"It's just better this way. I know it's hard to understand, but I couldn't stay at home, I couldn't bear to see mama & papa's disappointed faces. And yours especially! I didn't want you to hate me & think less of me."  
  
Shingo flinched. "I don't hate you, & I CERTAINLY don't think less of you Neechan."  
  
"But you don't know-!"  
  
"Yes I do."  
  
"No, there's more than what I told mama & papa."  
  
"I know that too." Shingo nodded slowly.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
"I told him." Mamoru said as he walked back into the room.  
  
"Why?" She looked at Mamoru, not really mad, but embarrassed.  
  
"Because... he's your brother."  
  
Usagi smiled a little at that. "Neechan. I don't care about that." Shingo said. "I still love you, & look up to you, I always will." Shingo smiled.  
  
"Don't tell Mama & Papa." Usagi begged him in a whisper.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Shingo stayed as late as he could before finally hugging Usagi bye & promising he would visit again soon.  
  
"Mamoru?" Usagi turned to him as she closed the door behind Shingo & locked it.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thank you." She smiled. "I really wanted to see him again."  
  
"I know." Mamoru was glad to see her so happy. Glad to see her smiling again like she used to when she would be playing arcade games & talking with her friends. She had a beautiful smile.  
  
"You look tired."  
  
"I am." He said as he yawned loudly. "Are you going to sleep now?"  
  
"I will soon."  
  
"Soon?"  
  
"Half an hour or so."  
  
"What are you going to do? Do you want to watch a show or something?" Mamoru sat down on the couch.  
  
"I'll probably just read. You can go to sleep."  
  
"But what if something happens? What if you slip or something?"  
  
"I'll be fine. Don't worry so much. Go to sleep." Usagi laughed. "You have to go to University tomorrow!"  
  
"I'll be fine, it's only 11:10."  
  
"You're ridiculous! Go to sleep! You get up at 6:30!" She laughed more. "You're so stubborn..." She went to her room shaking her head. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight... are you sure you're okay?" He followed her to the door.  
  
"Wonderful." She smiled. "Sleep."  
  
"Alright then. You don't have to tell me twice." Mamoru grinned.  
  
"What are you talking about? I told you 4 times!"  
  
"I know. I'm just bugging you."  
  
"And doing a good job of it." She teased.  
  
Mamoru grinned & backed away from the door as she closed it behind her. It hurt a little when he heard the lock click... but he tried to make himself remember that she probably didn't completely trust him yet... & might not ever. Mamoru lay down on the couch & soon fell asleep... but it wouldn't be pleasant.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"No! Don't!" Mamoru woke up from the same nightmare he had been having for the past few months. He hoped that he hadn't woken up Usagi but he heard the bedroom door unlock & creak open as she came to check on him.  
  
"Are you alright? Did you have that nightmare again?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry I woke you up. What time is it?"  
  
"3:46." She replied. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"No!" He said sharply causing Usagi to wince. "No." He said again softly. "I'm alright. Sorry."  
  
"It's okay... just try to get some sleep." She smiled & went back to the bedroom.  
  
"Yeah..." He sighed, raking his hand through his thick black hair. He turned over onto his stomach & put his pillow over his head as if trying to block out everything around him. He slowly fell back asleep.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Usagi snuck quietly out of her room, careful not to wake Mamoru as she went to kitchen & poured herself a glass of water. She heard him shifting around on the couch & wondered if he had woken up. She walked over to the living room to check on him. Mamoru was mumbling under his pillow. "Mamoru? Are you awake?"  
  
"No... Don't..." He kept mumbling over & over again. "Stop It!"  
  
Usagi was startled from him shouting so close to her in his sleep & left as quick as she could so that he wouldn't wake up & find her watching him. It was a creepy thing to do. "Stop it?" She asked herself as she got to the bedroom & had closed the door behind her.  
  
*~*~*The Next Morning*~*~*  
  
Mamoru turned over & looked at his alarm clock, painfully realizing that he was going to be late. "Damn clock..." He mumbled as he slowly sat up, preparing to get ready to leave.  
  
"Good morning!" Usagi cheered.  
  
"What the-? Usagi? Why are you up so early? It's 7:45."  
  
"I got up & got all of you stuff ready so that you could sleep an extra hour or so."  
  
"You didn't have to do that." Mamoru smiled.  
  
"I really appreciate what you did for me yesterday... so I wanted to do something nice for you."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Hey, Mamoru?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Are you feeling okay? You were mumbling in you sleep after you went back to sleep... it was kinda creepy."  
  
"I was?" Mamoru blinked. "What did I say?"  
  
"Well, you said 'no,' 'don't,' & 'stop it'..."  
  
"Stop it?"  
  
"Yeah. That's why I'm curious... you weren't saying that whenever you had that nightmare before."  
  
"Don't worry about it. It's just a dream."  
  
"But isn't it bad if you keep on having the same one every night? It's keeping you up half the night & you look like a wreck."  
  
"I'm fine." Mamoru smiled. "I'll see you this afternoon, okay?" He got up to end the conversation & began to gather his stuff & put his shoes on.  
  
"What is it about? Why does it bother you so much to talk about it?"  
  
"It doesn't bother me. I'm late." He replied & ran out the door.  
  
"Liar." Usagi whispered to the empty room.  
  
*~*~*Later That Evening*~*~*  
  
"Where were you?!" Usagi asked as she opened their apartment door. "I thought that you would be home in the afternoon!"  
  
"I fell asleep in the library." Mamoru rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"Go sleep in your bedroom. You look beat." Usagi's harsh look softened.  
  
"But-!"  
  
"I don't need to go to sleep yet. It's only 6:30. Go have a nap."  
  
"Thanks." Mamoru smiled gratefully.  
  
Usagi snuck into the bedroom after he had gone to sleep & waited for him to have his inevitable nightmare. It plagued his sleep constantly; Mamoru had that bad dream EVERY single time he slept. Just as she expected, it happened pretty soon after she got there. "Mamoru wake up." She gently shook him.  
  
"What?" He woke up with a start.  
  
"That's it. Tell me what has been bothering you so much." Usagi said sternly. "There's something wrong & you're beginning to scare me."  
  
"I just want to forget..." He whispered into his pillow. "I want to forget that place..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"My foster dad was an alcoholic." Mamoru told Usagi as she sat patiently across from him on the couch. "An abusive & evil man."  
  
"What?" Usagi gasped.  
  
"He beat my foster mom, he raped Miyako and..." Mamoru stopped. He closed his eyes and bent his head down.  
  
"And what?" She asked.  
  
"Nothing. That's all I was saying." He raked his hand through his hair.  
  
"No it wasn't. Please tell me." Usagi begged.  
  
"... Me too." He finished without looking at her. Mamoru got up & walked to the kitchen, pouring himself something to drink to escape from Usagi's shocked expression. He hated having to tell her that... he didn't want anyone to know. Ever.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Eek. I'm just twisting this worse than necessary now. I hadn't even originally planned on this part of the story. At least now I've explained why Mamoru understands Usagi so well between what happened to him & his foster sister. I hope you enjoyed it anyway, please review, I don't know if people are beginning to lose interest or not. There isn't much more to the story now, only 1 or 2 more chapters I think. (lol I CANNOT write a short story. The shortest complete one that I've written so far is 8 chapters long.) By the way, not that this really matters right now, but Mamoru's foster sister, Miyako, her name means 'beautiful march child' that's why I made her birthday in march. And because I'm twisted I made her die on her birthday... -_-; [Oh, by the way, would anyone read an original story of mine if I posted it here on ff.net? Please tell me if you would!] 


	7. Chapter Seven An Unexpected Guest

A.N. He-yo minna! Doumo Arigatou for all your reviews so far. I REEEEAAALLYYYY appreciate it!!! At fist I wasn't sure if I should write this story or not, even though I really wanted to. I wasn't sure how people would react to it, if they'd like it, or hate & give me my first bad reviews. Plus the fact that I'm not exactly what you could call an experienced writer. I know that the last chapter was a little weird & creepy, but this one will be basically normal ^_^; Anyway, woo! That was long. Please review!!! ^__^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SM, Naoko Takeuchi-sensei does!  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"Mamoru." Usagi whispered as she slowly followed him into the kitchen. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine. All right? It... Just wasn't something that I wanted anyone to know."  
  
"At least it was me. You can trust me, I won't tell anyone, I promise."  
  
"I know you wouldn't." Mamoru turned to her & smiled.  
  
"I think it's better that you've finally told someone. It helps if you talk about these things doesn't it?"  
  
"I've told someone before."  
  
"Who?" Usagi asked.  
  
"My psychiatrist. That's the real reason I was late today, I wasn't at the library."  
  
" I know. I could tell you we're lying."  
  
"You could?"  
  
"Yeah. You do a little 'thing' with your face."  
  
"A little 'thing?' " Mamoru laughed. "Like what?"  
  
"I don't know. It's just this thing that changes, I'm not sure really what it is, but your face just looks different somehow." Usagi laughed.  
  
Suddenly, Mamoru reached out & wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. "Thank you, Usagi." He said quietly.  
  
"Mamoru!" She gasped. "You- you're wel-welcome." She stuttered & wriggled out of his arms. She didn't like being caught off guard like that, even though it was just a hug.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's all right." Usagi smiled reassuringly. "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all." She felt bad for making him feel bad. "You should go back to sleep for a while, I'll wake you up in an hour."  
  
"Thanks." Mamoru smiled & went back to bed as Usagi sat down in the living room to watch TV.  
  
*~*~*1 Month Later*~*~*  
  
Everything had been going pretty well for Usagi & Mamoru for the past few weeks. Mamoru had stopped having his nightmares & flashbacks and Usagi was 2/3rds through her pregnancy & healthy. There was one little problem that was weighing on Usagi's mind though.  
  
"Mamoru." She said one day as they were watching TV. "Where do you think I should go? Should I move back home with my family?"  
  
Mamoru turned to her confused by her out-of-the-blue question. "What do you mean?"  
  
"After I have my baby, I was asking you if I should move back home or just find my own place."  
  
"No."  
  
"No to what?"  
  
"You shouldn't move out on your own. It would be too hard for you." Mamoru said. "And to be completely honest, it might be even worse if you moved back home."  
  
"That's why I don't know what to do." Usagi shook her head. "Where should I go, then?"  
  
"Well... truthfully, I wasn't expecting you to go anywhere." Mamoru said quietly.  
  
"Eh?" Usagi blinked. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I figured that you would just stay here with me."  
  
"I couldn't do that." Usagi replied. Mamoru should've guessed as much, she wouldn't want to live with HIM longer than necessary. "I'm already such a nuisance & I can hardly help pay any bills with the money I get from working at the arcade never mind once a baby gets involved... I can't ask you to do that for me."  
  
Mamoru blinked, it wasn't the reason he thought. "Then don't ask me." He smiled. "I'll ask you."  
  
"Ask me what?" Usagi stared at him.  
  
"Usagi, stay with me. Move in for good."  
  
"That's crazy! I can't do that. You'll regret it so much, you're 20 yrs old!" She exclaimed.  
  
"I haven't regretted it yet, & I won't." He replied.  
  
"But-!"  
  
"Stay."  
  
"But-!"  
  
"Please."  
  
"Are you sure?.." Usagi asked him cautiously.  
  
"Positive." Mamoru smiled. "Stay with me... Usako."  
  
Usagi blushed. "U-Usako?" He nodded. "O-okay."  
  
"Good." He smiled again. "I like having someone around to talk to. I've been on my own for so long."  
  
"How long have you lived by yourself?"  
  
"Since I was 14... so... 6 years."  
  
"EHH?! Since you were 14?!"  
  
"Yeah." Mamoru replied. "It's fun living with you, though. I enjoy living with you."  
  
"Than-thank you." She stuttered. Usagi was feeling a whole mix of emotions that she couldn't quite explain... mainly uneasiness, though.  
  
Mamoru could tell he was making her uncomfortable & cursed himself mentally for it. "So, have you thought up any names yet?" He changed the subject.  
  
"LOTS! But every time I try to narrow down my list I just think of more!" She wailed, causing Mamoru to laugh.  
  
"Name some of your favourites." He suggested.  
  
"Well, I suppose out of boys' names, my absolute favourite is Yuki. But I also really like Hisoka, Asanuma, Hajime, Daisuke, Kenshin, Seki, & Kuko."  
  
"What about for girls?"  
  
"Hmm... Let's see... Ayumi, Naoko, Sakura, Hotaru, Hana, Keiko, Akane, Momoko, Kitsune, Kita, & Emiko."  
  
"You've got lots of names to choose from." He laughed. "I like them though, they're all very nice."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. You've got good taste in names. I've always liked your name as well."  
  
"Oh? It was my mother's favourite name. She thought it would be cute to name me 'Tsukino Usagi'." [Just in case someone doesn't know, Usagi's name means "Rabbit of the Moon" & refers to a very well-known, & to me at least, beautiful folktale. ^_^]  
  
Mamoru smiled kindly. "Good night, Usako. Have a nice sleep."  
  
"Good night, Mamoru." She smiled back.  
  
There was something about that girl... that drew him in... & He hated himself for it.  
  
*~*~*The Next Evening*~*~*  
  
Usagi answered their door to find a pretty woman with red hair & brown eyes standing there. "Can I help you?" She asked.  
  
"Oh?" The woman blinked when she saw Usagi. "Forgive me, I must be at the wrong apartment, it's been a while." She blushed. "Would you by any chance know which of these apartments belong to Chiba Mamoru? I was almost positive it was this one, but it seems I was wrong."  
  
"That's alright. This is our apartment, you've come to the right one." Usagi stepped back a little more as she opened the door to let the young woman in. "Mamoru is just in the shower right now, he should be out in a moment."  
  
"Thank you very much." She smiled & turned towards Usagi. "Oh my!" She gasped quietly when she noticed Usagi was pregnant. She blushed a dark red. "I'm sorry, I was just caught off guard." She apologized.  
  
"It's okay, I've heard a lot worse than 'oh my'." Usagi smiled. "Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?"  
  
"No thank you. I'm not planning on staying for long, I was just in the neighbourhood & decided to stop by."  
  
"I see."  
  
"How are you related to Mamoru-kun? I didn't think he had a little sister."  
  
"I'm not related to him. I live with Mamoru."  
  
"You LIVE here?" The woman blinked.  
  
"Yep. We're just friends." Usagi wanted to make sure that the red-haired woman didn't think that Mamoru was the one responsible for her baby.  
  
"Usako! Was that someone at the door just now?" Mamoru called as the two girls heard the door to the bathroom open.  
  
"Yes, it was! You have a guest!" She called back.  
  
"A guest?" Mamoru asked puzzled as he walked into the living room. "Who would-" He stopped as the girl turned around in her seat to face him.  
  
"Mamoru-kun, it's been a while." She smiled.  
  
"Ma- Maaya-chan..." Mamoru blinked. He could hardly believe that SHE was here.  
  
"Mamoru-kun... you look terrified, is my visit THAT unwelcome?" She said innocently.  
  
"Well... no. It's just a surprise to see you again, that's all." He smiled. "Why are you here?"  
  
"I wanted to see you again. Would you like to grab some coffee?" Maaya smiled.  
  
"Okay. Usako, do you mind?"  
  
"Go ahead, I'm fine. Are you two old friends?" Usagi asked curiously.  
  
"Something like that." Mamoru smiled awkwardly. "I'll be back in a little while. Lock the door behind me, alright?"  
  
"I always do!" Usagi smiled.  
  
"Right." He nodded. "Of course."  
  
*~*~*20 Minutes Later in Crown Fruit Parlour*~*~*  
  
"Why are you really here?" Mamoru asked Maaya as they sat in a corner booth.  
  
"I wanted to see you. I really did." She took a quiet sip of her coffee.  
  
"Oh yeah? For what?" He asked her incredulously.  
  
"Listen, I'M the one who should be asking questions, here." Maaya's eyes shot up to meet his. "What's going on with that girl that's living with you? Who is she?"  
  
"Her name is Usagi."  
  
"It's a cute little nickname that you've got for her..." Maaya played with her stir stick, swishing it around in her coffee before taking another sip. "... What was it you called her? Usako?"  
  
"Your point being?" Mamoru's eyes narrowed slightly, he was getting defensive.  
  
"Is she your girlfriend?"  
  
"No. Just a friend I'm helping out. NOT that it concerns you AT ALL."  
  
"Good."  
  
"'Good' what?"  
  
"Good to know that I still have a chance... you with all of your 'morals' & such, wouldn't ditch your girlfriend & date other girls if she was pregnant. If she's not your girlfriend then I don't have to worry." Maaya explained. "Unless it actually is your baby... which seems like something you would do, you've never been one to have a steady girlfriend..."  
  
"It's not my baby... & what are you talking about?"  
  
"You could never stay with one girl. There were always at least 5 a week that were trying to get your attention, usually more, & you always managed to find time for all of them."  
  
"What do you mean by that? I went out with you for almost a year."  
  
"Yeah. So it seems that you COULDN'T stay with one girl, after all. Did you honestly think I didn't know what was going on? You had waitresses slipping you their numbers at our high school graduation dinner!" Maaya said angrily.  
  
"Okay, so I admit, I was dumb. I'm not like that anymore."  
  
"Apparently not. Everyone I've talked to has said that you've gone into hiding for the past few months. I was wondering what had happened."  
  
"You came here from Kyoto & decided to just come back into my life again?" Mamoru asked.  
  
"That's what was originally planned, but things are different than I had assumed... you've got that little girl with you now."  
  
"She's not little. She's 16 years old, that's only 4 years younger than you & I."  
  
"She's still too young for you."  
  
"That's fine then, because she ISN'T 'for me'." Mamoru glared at her. "She's just my friend."  
  
"Ha. You can't be friends with a woman, or GIRL as the case may be. You only see them good for one thing." Maaya scoffed.  
  
"Well I see YOU haven't changed, you're still just like you were 2 years ago."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. Jealous. Of what exactly, I don't know. But jealous, nonetheless." Mamoru continued his icy stare. Oh, how he hated the girl sitting across from him. Despite her innocent front, she was manipulative & his own personal hell throughout high school. "I'm out of here." Mamoru got up to leave.  
  
"Leaving so soon?" Maaya grinned as she batted her eyes at him. "I should go now too I guess." She got up along with him & walked out of Crown FP. She paused as she got to the door of her car & turned to Mamoru. "Would you like to come to my place for a while?" She traced a slender hand up his arm & around to the back of his neck, pulling his face closer to her own slowly.  
  
"I really shouldn't." Mamoru replied.  
  
Maaya kissed him. "Yeah. I suppose that you should be getting home to your little 'whore'."  
  
Mamoru's eyes flared red. "Don't you EVER call her that!"  
  
"Oh, right. I forgot. She's not 'little'." Maaya winked as she got into her car & drove off.  
  
Mamoru had to fight every muscle in his body not to hit the red-haired woman. He HATED her! "Damn it!" He turned & punched the wall of Crown in rage.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He-yo minna! How did you like it? I hope you didn't hate it... whether you did or not, how about you review to tell me what you think? I've got a few days off so I'm going to try to get another chapter out before I have to go back to work... never mind a wedding that I have to go to & a bunch of other stuff. Oh, by the way, I'm just curious... how old do you all think I am? I REALLY want to know! Please say in your review! Trust me, I won't get insulted! Arigatou!!! ^_~ Ja ne! 


	8. Chapter Eight Angel

A.N. Here is the myth that I was talking about when I mention Usagi's name: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/link_september.html it's the best version I could find so far... read it, isn't it sad? The rabbit does remind you of Usagi though, doesn't it? ^_^ It does to me at least. lol In searching for a site to refer people who are curious about the folktale about the rabbit of the moon, I came across an interesting site: http://www.theblackmoon.com/Contents/content.html It sells stuff from Japan, & it's called "Black Moon"... creepy ne? lol it's a cool site though. And the other question that I got was who is the real father of Usagi's baby... it's Katsuo, the guy that she went on a date with in the 1st chapter. I guess if you don't remember the earlier chapters you would forget his name. It's easy for me 'cuz I'm the one writing it. lol  
  
Disclaimer: I don't Own SM, Naoko Takeuchi-sensei does!!  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Mamoru walked back to his apartment, swearing all the way & holding his right hand in his left. He quickly unlocked the door, letting it slam behind him as he headed straight for the bathroom & the first aid kit. Usagi quietly walked to the bathroom doorway listening him mumbling something about 'that damn wall.'  
  
"Mamoru?" She asked as she peeked around into the room. "What happened to your hand?"  
  
"I punched a wall." He groaned & continued cleaning out the cuts caused by hitting the rough wall instead that heartless bitch he used to date. He never could hit a woman.  
  
"You punched a wall?!" Usagi gasped.  
  
"Yeah, and I think I broke some bones in my hand." Mamoru grumbled. He was NOT in a good mood. "See, I can't move my fingers." Usagi watched as his fingers merely twitched, he couldn't move them freely.  
  
"Why did you do that?" She blinked.  
  
"Maaya-chan made me mad. I couldn't hit her so I decided to take my anger out on the brick wall... not one of my brightest ideas."  
  
"Eh? She seemed so nice & polite."  
  
"She's a bitch. A crazy, manipulative, bitch. Pure & simple."  
  
"What did she do?"  
  
"Nothing. She was just saying stuff that was making me mad so I left."  
  
"There's got to be more to it than that." Usagi said. "You're doing that 'thing' with your face again."  
  
"She kissed me." Mamoru told her, but he wasn't amused. "Trying to get me to do what she wanted, just like in high school."  
  
"You knew her in high school?"  
  
"Yeah. We dated for a while. It was mainly a popularity thing. We were both very popular but we were total opposites. I was actually the nerd that came from nothing who acted like nothing bothered him, but really was screwed up. She was the queen of the school, acting sweet & innocent in front of teachers & parents & like I said, a bitch in reality." Mamoru said. "I was the one who did all her homework so that she could even graduate. The only reason I didn't get labelled a geek was because all the girls thought I was hot." He sighed as he wrapped up his hand in some gauze.  
  
"I suppose you've had lots of girlfriends, then. I used to see you with a new girl every week." Usagi said.  
  
"Nope. She was my only girlfriend. Ever."  
  
"Then what about-"  
  
"Usako!" Mamoru cut her off. "Don't. I don't want to talk about it." Mamoru's dark blue eyes stared into Usagi's & scared her a little. "I'm not like that anymore."  
  
"So-Sorry." She stuttered nervously as she backed away from the doorway.  
  
"Usako." Mamoru's eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little tense right now. I'm going to head down to the hospital & get my hand checked out... do you want to come with me? I promise that I won't get angry about anything."  
  
"I- I..." She hesitated.  
  
"I like your company... and I'll probably have to wait there for a few hours, so I'd like to be able to talk to you while I wait."  
  
"I guess so." Usagi smiled.  
  
*~*~*At The Hospital*~*~*  
  
"Thanks for coming with me, Usako." Mamoru turned to her as they sat in the waiting room.  
  
"No problem. Why do you call me 'Usako'?"  
  
"It just suits you. Would you rather that I didn't call you that? Do you want me to call you Usagi?"  
  
"No. Usako is nice... it's cute." Usagi smiled.  
  
"I thought so."  
  
"I'll call you Mamo-chan, then." She winked.  
  
"Mamo-chan?" He blinked.  
  
"Yep!" They both laughed quietly. "Hey, Mamo-chan? What are you going to do about university? You can't write if your hand is broken."  
  
"I'll just use my left hand & type everything on my laptop." Mamoru told her. "Not to worry."  
  
"I still can't believe that you punched a wall. She must've said something really bad, huh?"  
  
"Yeah..." Mamoru hoped that she wouldn't ask what Maaya had said.  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"Chiba Mamoru?" A nurse called out to everyone in the waiting room.  
  
"That's me." Mamoru replied, rather eagerly.  
  
"You can go in now." The nurse smiled.  
  
"Thank you." He smiled back politely. "I'll be back soon, Usako."  
  
"Okay." Usagi smiled, aware that he still hadn't answered her question.  
  
*~*~*Back at the Apartment*~*~*  
  
"Mamo-chan." Usagi said suddenly after it had been quiet for a while. "How did Maaya-san make you so mad?"  
  
"She-! No, it's nothing you need to worry about." Mamoru stopped himself from telling her.  
  
"Tell me. It's about me isn't it?"  
  
"She called you a whore." Mamoru said it quickly, hoping that it would hurt less, like a band-aid being ripped off.  
  
"That's just another name to add to a long list." Usagi said sadly, fighting with all of her strength to keep from crying. When she was little... it always hurt less to pull the band-aid off slowly, she hated it when her mom would rip it off.  
  
"Usako, I-" Mamoru rushed to comfort the girl who was near tears in front of him.  
  
"Just tell me one thing Mamoru. Alright?" Usagi looked up at him. "Do you think less of me? Do you think that I'm a whore for letting what happened, happen?"  
  
"No. Of course not." Mamoru put his arms around her & hugged Usagi. He gently kissed her forehead & she started to cry. "It wasn't your fault."  
  
"But..." Usagi whispered as she lifted up her head to look at Mamoru. She couldn't talk. He was kissing her.  
  
*~*~*A Week Later*~*~*  
  
Needless to say, it had been an awkward, & quiet week for Mamoru & Usagi. He had driven her to doctor's appointment & things like that but she always refused his help when he offered it to her. To Usagi, Mamoru had crossed the line, to where she could no longer trust him. But she had nowhere else to go, she had stopped talking to her friends about a month before & she couldn't go back home. She continued living with Mamoru, keeping a close watch on his every move & making sure he didn't get to close to her.  
  
When she had been crying that night, the last thing she expected was for Mamoru to kiss her. It wasn't aggressive, but it also wasn't welcome. Usagi quickly pushed him away; Mamoru had looked about as surprised as she had herself. Still... it didn't matter to Usagi... what he did was not something that she could easily forgive him for.  
  
Mamoru was at a complete loss of what to do or say. He didn't know why he had kissed Usagi, it had just happened. She was upset & he wanted to comfort her... but he had always had trouble with women. They had always been so phoney with him; girls had 'pretended' to be upset about something around him, just to get his attention. He had reacted without thinking & now he was paying for it.  
  
"Damn it!" Mamoru slammed his fist down on the table in frustration as they ate dinner one night, causing Usagi to gasp. "Are we going to talk about this or not?"  
  
"I would rather NOT talk to you right now." Usagi glared up at him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'Why?' You know why!" She said angrily. "Just what were you trying to do?"  
  
"I wasn't trying anything! I don't know what I was thinking! It just happened!"  
  
"What a sorry excuse!!! You are REALLY unbelievable, did you know that?" All of Usagi's emotions were bubbling up to the surface now. She was getting angrier & angrier by the second.  
  
Mamoru hadn't seen her this difficult to talk to since that first week when he & Motoki had gone to visit her & she had shouted at Motoki not to touch her. That was because she was afraid... she was afraid again now, & Mamoru couldn't blame her. "I know, but it's the truth! Believe me Usako, the last thing I wanted to do was to upset you more!"  
  
"Well great idea, Einstein! That was the perfect way to make me feel better! Kiss me & remind me of everything that happened when I was raped! By someone, who by the way, has the same reputation as you did when you were in high school!" Usagi took a deep breath to try to contain herself. "Is it not already bad enough that I have to relive it every single night when I go to sleep, or when I go out somewhere & people stare at me & make little offhand comments to each other? You, the person that I thought I could trust the most out of everyone, made me feel ten times worse with your little kiss."  
  
"Usako..." Mamoru hated the vibe that he was getting from her. Usagi was angry, there wasn't any question about that, and he had known it all week. What was really bothering him was her last sentence... he made her feel ten times worse than everything else did. "I..."  
  
"What?" She said impatiently.  
  
"I'm sorry." Mamoru said quietly. "If you want me to, I'll leave."  
  
"Leave?" Usagi asked.  
  
"Yes. I'll let you keep living here & I'll help pay the bills, but I'll be gone. I'll move somewhere else & leave you alone."  
  
"Well..." Usagi said slowly. Wasn't this exactly what she wanted? She wouldn't have to worry about Mamoru trying anything on her this way. She could have privacy. She could live on her own in peace & solitude for a few months longer... then she could focus all her time on her baby. But was that what she really wanted? If he was gone... even though he made her feel uncomfortable sometimes... & had a pretty bad reputation when it came to women... she wouldn't feel as safe anymore.  
  
"Don't worry about it... I'll go pack up some stuff & crash at Motoki's for the night." Mamoru got up to leave & go pack.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
Mamoru stopped in his tracks & turned around to Usagi, dumbfounded. "Eh?"  
  
"This is YOUR apartment. You can't leave." Usagi said. "I-"  
  
"Don't you dare say that you'll move out instead, we've already discussed that."  
  
"That's not it... I- I'd feel better if you stayed."  
  
"You would?"  
  
"Call me crazy, but I would." Usagi smiled lightly. "I'm not though, right? I'm not crazy for wanting to stay with you? You're not going to do anything to make me regret this decision... are you?"  
  
"No. I promise." Mamoru smiled. He turned around again & began to walk into the living room.  
  
"Mamo-chan..."  
  
Mamoru smiled at his nickname... it was a sign that she wasn't mad anymore. "What is it?"  
  
"Do you respect me?"  
  
"Haven't you asked me this before?"  
  
"This is different. I need to know this answer. I need to know if I've made the right decision for sure."  
  
"There's not a woman I respect more than you in this entire world."  
  
"Really?" Usagi gasped quietly. She was expecting his usual 'Of course I do!' response.  
  
"Usako. You are beautiful, & funny, & you treat everyone around you equally. You don't judge anybody & you see the silver lining on every cloud."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"You see good in every bad situation or person."  
  
"Isn't that to be considered my weakness?"  
  
"I don't think so. I think it makes you stronger, stronger than you'll probably ever know."  
  
Usagi blushed a little. Why did he always try to make her feel so good about herself? She didn't ever know how to react, & she only wondered why he felt that it was necessary.  
  
"You, Usako. Are the strongest, kindest, & most selfless person I've ever known. Knowing you has changed my life. I'm glad that you want to still be a part of it."  
  
"Mamo-chan..." Usagi whispered, not knowing what else to say.  
  
"There. Now I've said it. You are my angel. You've changed my life."  
  
"You've saved mine." Usagi said quietly. "I never got to tell you... but that day that you called me, when you had your nightmare & insisted on coming over to check on me... I was probably about 30 seconds away from taking a kitchen knife & slashing my wrists. You called & I realized that you really cared. If you were gone then who would I have to save me?" A few sparkling tears rolled down her cheeks. "It seems to me, that you're my angel too."  
  
"Usako, if I hugged you... would you be scared off?" Mamoru asked quietly as he walked towards her.  
  
"No." Usagi replied. Mamoru's arms wrapped around her securely in a warm hug.  
  
He could smell the scent of her shampoo as Mamoru's head rested on hers. It was intoxicating. Everything about Usagi seemed to draw him in, as a matter of fact. Mamoru only thought to himself, 'Why?' Why did she have this power over him? Why did he crave being near her all the time? Why did he feel so strangely about her? It was a feeling that he had never really felt before. It made him uncomfortable. He wondered, 'Could it be... that I'm falling in love with Usako? Impossible!' There were so many reasons why he shouldn't: they were roommates, she was sixteen, she was PREGNANT, & above all, she didn't feel the same way for him. Never the less... he had fallen, & landed hard for his cheery little roommate, & everything that went with her.  
  
Finally... he had found the girl who he really connected with...  
  
'Finally...' Usagi thought to herself. 'I've found someone who'll always be there...'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He-yo minna! Did you know that as of right now, chapter 3 & chapter 7 are tied as my most reviewed chapters with 10 reviews each? Yup! Wha'dya say we break that record, Hm? Lets reach the goal of 11 reviews!!! (I know, I know... I'm shameless ^_~) How'd u like this chapter, anyway? I hope it was good. It took me a while to finish. Review & I'll post the next chapter soon!  
  
Ja ne! 


	9. Chapter Nine I'm So Sorry

A.N. Sorry it took so long to update! My computer is kinda broken... -_-;;; I hope you enjoy this chapter, please review! ^_~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any of its characters... I have, however, written this story from my own imagination & I haven't gotten the idea from somewhere else. I made up the characters Katsuo & Maaya... (Actually, Maaya- chan is a character from my original story; although she is almost nothing like she is in this fic... basically just her appearance is the same. ^_^ So really, she's not the same character at all! I talk too much...)  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"Good morning!" Usagi smiled as she walked into Crown Arcade.  
  
"Good morning, Usagi-chan." Motoki replied. "How are you both doing?"  
  
"Good, good, thank you!"  
  
"That's great. How much longer?"  
  
"Just under a month or so." Usagi replied. "She's kicking me like crazy, right here." She rubbed her hand over her stomach, up by her ribs. "She must really want to get out of there."  
  
"She? Did you find out it was going to be a girl?"  
  
"No... But I feel bad if I say 'it' all the time. I have a feeling that it will be a girl, but if I'm wrong there's no harm done anyway."  
  
Motoki laughed. "You're hilarious, Usagi-chan." He tossed a cloth to her for the game screens. "So, how is everything going on with you & Mamoru? You don't mind living with him?"  
  
"Nope. Things are good. We understand each other really well." She smiled & nodded her head. "He's so nice to me... I never would have imagined."  
  
"Yeah, with the way you 2 used to fight like cats & dogs."  
  
"Yup." Usagi winced a little but smiled again. "Aka-chan..." [Aka-chan is a cute way of saying "baby" which I believe is 'Akago'] She looked down at her stomach & whispered. "Why do you insist on kicking me so much?" Motoki laughed. She went to work cleaning up & occasionally stopping to test the games. ^_~  
  
Sometime around 11:30 Mamoru showed up at the Arcade. "Usako." He called out to her.  
  
"Usako?" Motoki blinked. He didn't really get to talk to either of them very much. Today was the first time he'd been able to see Usagi in over a month.  
  
"Mamo-chan? What are you doing here?" Usagi asked.  
  
"Mamo-chan?" Motoki blinked as he approached his two friends. "What's with the names?"  
  
"Eh? Oh nothing, just nicknames we made up." Usagi laughed.  
  
"You two really are getting close, aren't you?" Motoki said as he looked from one to the other.  
  
"It's not what you think." Mamoru explained to him before turning towards Usagi. "Anyway, I came buy because I've got an hour and 1/2 free & I was wondering if I could take you out to lunch."  
  
"Lunch?" Usagi repeated. "But there will be lots of people around... what if you see someone from school? What would they think if they saw you out with someone like me?"  
  
"I don't care what they would think. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Mamoru placed his hands on both of her shoulder & bent down a bit to look in her eyes. "Please come with me for lunch... you can pick where & I'll buy you anything that you want."  
  
She looked over at Motoki. "Can I go?"  
  
"Sure. Knock yourself out!" He smiled warmly.  
  
"Okay! I'll be right back. I'm just going to go to the washroom quickly & get my stuff together." Usagi left.  
  
"What's going on?" Motoki looked up suspiciously at Mamoru who was staring off into space as he thought about something. "Don't think that I don't know you well enough to be able to pick up on they way you are with her... the way you look at her."  
  
"Eh? What do you mean?" Mamoru looked at Motoki.  
  
"Mamoru, what on earth are you thinking? Are you falling in love with Usagi- chan?"  
  
"I don't know if it's love, but I've never felt like this before."  
  
"I can tell. You've never pleaded with a girl to go out with you your entire life."  
  
"Usako is, special."  
  
"Usako... Usako..." Motoki paused for a moment while he thought of where he had heard that name mentioned before. "Wait a minute. There are a few girls in my class who are always complaining about some guy always talking about 'Usako' in their other class. It's you isn't it?"  
  
"Maybe I've mentioned her a few times..."  
  
"Nuh-uh." Motoki shook his head. "They complain everyday about how the hot guy with the blue eyes won't stop talking about his girlfriend & all of her 'quirky little habits'. You're not boyfriend & girlfriend, are you?"  
  
"No, no." Mamoru shook his head.  
  
"Gosh. From the things I've heard you've completely fallen head over heels for her."  
  
Mamoru grinned. "Maybe..." Usagi came back & he smiled brightly. "You ready?"  
  
"Yup! I'll be back after lunch, Motoki-niisan!" She called out as they left together.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Usako... how do you like your meal?"  
  
"It's very good, thank you for taking me out." They were sitting at a table in the back of a quiet little restaurant that Usagi used to go to all the time with her family.  
  
"No problem." Mamoru smiled. "Usako..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Are you going to go back to school after you have the baby?"  
  
"I suppose I will, but I think that I will switch schools so that nobody needs to know that I'm a year behind. I won't go back right away, though." Usagi said. "I want to get to know my baby & take care of it."  
  
"That's nice."  
  
"You know... I've been thinking about it a lot lately... I read on the Internet that some girls have a lot of trouble when they have a baby through rape. That they have trouble because they are constantly reminded of what happened whenever they look at they're child."  
  
"That's true. It happens pretty often."  
  
"But... I think of it differently." Usagi smiled. "This is still my baby, Katsuo's part has been done, but I'M going to be the one raising my baby... I'm going to get to see all of those amazing things like first words, first steps, first day of school, first crush, first love... to me the good out- weighs the bad. That was in the past, I've got all of these good moments in my future."  
  
Mamoru stared at Usagi as she smiled & talked. "You find a new way to amaze me every time we talk." He laughed.  
  
"Eh? Th-thank you." Usagi blushed.  
  
Mamoru sighed & leaned back in his chair. "You don't need to be so embarrassed all the time..." He grinned.  
  
"It's just the way you say things to me all the time... like you're always trying to make me feel so good about myself... I don't really know how to react."  
  
"Would you rather that I acted like a jerk & tease you mercilessly like before?" He winked.  
  
Usagi blushed just a bit darker. "No. I just don't understand why you're like that."  
  
"Why I want you to feel good about yourself?" Mamoru blinked. "Why wouldn't I want you to be happy? And everything I say is the truth."  
  
"But why do you try so hard? Whether what you think is true or not, I don't think I'm worth so much effort on your part." She didn't want him to feel that he always had to be SO nice to her. Admittedly, she liked it, but she felt a little strange whenever he would compliment her.  
  
"You're wrong! You are totally worth it all, Usako... I love you." He smiled & then realized what he had just said. 'Shimatta!' Mamoru thought to himself. 'I can't believe I just told her that!!'  
  
'I can't believe he just told me that!' Usagi's mind raced & her face went dark red. He surely couldn't have meant it the way she had interpreted it. He was a 20 yr old man & she was just a 16 yr old girl. Not to mention all of the other little reasons. "Ma..." She couldn't think of what to say. She couldn't even say his name. She was in shock.  
  
"Forgive me, Usako. I don't know what I was thinking."  
  
"It's alright... You don't have to be sorry, it was just a shock, that's all."  
  
Mamoru looked at his watch. "I should get you back to work." He stood up quickly.  
  
"Mamo-chan..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I... what... are you serious? Did you really mean that?"  
  
"Listen, I'm sorry... just forget I said anything, it was a stupid thing to say..."  
  
"So you don't?"  
  
"No." Mamoru replied. "I do."  
  
"Eh?" This wasn't making too much sense to Usagi.  
  
Mamoru sighed. He had never been so uncomfortable with a girl his entire life. "I DO love you. It wasn't a lie." He admitted again.  
  
"But... you... Mamo-chan... How long have you felt like this?"  
  
"I don't know. A while I guess... I really should be getting you back to work, we've been gone for over an hour." Mamoru turned around & began to walk away.  
  
"Wait! Mamo-chan!" Usagi rushed up from her seat to go after him. "Ah-!"  
  
Mamoru turned around when he heard Usagi gasp. Some water had spilled on the floor when a waitress had walked by earlier & neither of them had noticed...  
  
Usagi slipped...  
  
"Usako!" He screamed as he saw Usagi lying on the floor, unconscious. He kneeled beside her & held her face in his hands. Other people that were in the restaurant came to see what had happened. "Damn it! Call an ambulance!" He shouted at them.  
  
"Usako... Usako, wake up." Mamoru pleaded. "Wake up..."  
  
*~*~* At the Hospital *~*~*  
  
Mamoru paced anxiously back & forth in the waiting room. He couldn't sit still, even though his muscles were so stiff from worry that every move stung like a thousand needles.  
  
"Mamoru!" Motoki came running up to him through the long, white hallway. "Is she going to be okay?! What about the baby?!"  
  
"I- I don't know. They haven't said much since they brought her into surgery." Mamoru replied as he continued to pace.  
  
Motoki sighed heavily as he sat down in a chair. "Oh my God..." He moaned as he hung his head in his hands.  
  
"Did you call her friends?"  
  
"Yeah. I called the school & got them paged."  
  
"Did you call her family?"  
  
"No. I didn't know if I should. She doesn't want to have any more contact with her parents." Motoki replied.  
  
"You know who her brother is, right?"  
  
"Shingo? Yeah, I know him."  
  
"Could you go pick him up & bring him here? I'll let him call their parents."  
  
"Sure. But... Mamoru, she's going to get better... isn't she? You said that all she did was fall. How can it be so bad? Why is she in surgery if all she did was slip & fall?" Motoki paused before he left to go to Shingo's school to tell him what happened.  
  
"It's more complicated than that. She's over 8 months pregnant... she's only 3 weeks from her due date... her fall... might have killed her baby. " Mamoru's face was pale & his eyes were red. "Please... get her brother..."  
  
"Right." Motoki nodded & ran off.  
  
Mamoru fell helplessly into the same chair that Motoki had just been sitting in. "Usako... I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. It's all my fault that you might-" He was only talking to himself but he still couldn't say the words that he was thinking out loud. '...Die.'  
  
Usagi was in surgery for 2 reasons: the doctors were trying hard to save the baby because while they were in the ambulance she had started bleeding, also she had hit her head on top of that along the table's edge. They were doing an emergency C-Section on a 16 yr old girl with a concussion & it wasn't sure if either of them would make it... she was losing so much blood.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Gomen nasai! You must all hate me for ending this chapter at such a bad time! But don't worry b/c the next chapter, (& I think final) is already partially done. I just wanted to post as much as I could in case I didn't get another chance for a few days. Anyway, sugoi, sugoi! 14 Reviews for chapter 8!!! YAY!!!! 


	10. Chapter Ten The End

Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any of its characters.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"Mamoru-san!" Minako & the other 4 girls came running down the same endless white hallway that Motoki had ran down. "Where is she?!"  
  
"She's in surgery." Mamoru replied quietly, not looking up.  
  
"What happened? How bad is it?" Ami asked solemnly.  
  
"She had a concussion & is bleeding really badly. They're trying to get the baby out as quick as possible so that they can help her... the mother is always the most important in situations like this..." Mamoru said, Ami closed her eyes tightly... she knew what he was talking about.  
  
"She's not going to die! Surely you can't believe that!" Rei said defiantly as her eyes brimmed with tears. "Usagi can't die!"  
  
"Usagi is strong! She'll be all right." Makoto reasoned.  
  
Minako hugged Naru as they all began to realize that she didn't have the greatest of chances... & the baby had less of a chance than Usagi.  
  
Mamoru got up & began pacing again. Motoki arrived with Shingo & the boy immediately ran to him & hugged him tightly as he cried. Mamoru looked down at him. "Shingo-kun... have you called your mom & dad?"  
  
His breath was choppy as he tried to breathe in. "Yes, I did."  
  
Just then a nurse came from the O.R. & the 8 people rushed her with the same question: "How is she?" Mamoru asked pleadingly.  
  
"It's too soon to tell." The nurse replied sadly.  
  
"What about the baby?"  
  
"It's too soon to tell..." She replied again. "I'm sorry... we'll inform you as soon as we can." She quickly left to get another doctor.  
  
The next 10 minutes went by painstakingly slow. Usagi's parents had shown up & were hugging Shingo & the girls. Motoki sat with his head in his hands & Mamoru paced back and forth in front of the door; all the while trying to avoid the penetrating stare Usagi's father was giving him... not that he could blame him, he must've thought that Mamoru was the one who got her pregnant, the cause for all of this. It was the least of Mamoru's worries at the moment.  
  
Silent... Silent... and then...  
  
Everyone's heads shot up as they heard a baby cry. The nurse from earlier came out almost immediately. "It's a girl. She's going to be alright, because of the way Tsukino-san fell there wasn't much harm done, just a few little bruises." She sighed. "Usagi is still in critical condition, though. The doctors are trying they're best."  
  
No one really knew how to react. They were happy that the baby was safe but so worried about Usagi that it was sort of overshadowed. "Thank you, Kaori- san." [A.N. The name Kaori isn't referring to the villain from SMS... it's just the first name I happened to think of ^_^;]  
  
"No problem, Mamoru-kun." The nurse smiled softly, a little sympathetically even as she went back into the O.R.  
  
"Mamoru-san, how do you know that nurse?" Naru asked him.  
  
"I work here as part of university. We're required to as part of Med School... I know a lot of people..." He replied distantly, staring off into nothing.  
  
"Mamoru?" Motoki snapped his fingers in front of Mamoru's face with no reaction from his friend. "Mamoru!"  
  
"Leave me alone..." Mamoru whispered almost inaudibly as he walked away from the group of people & sat down. He knew so many people... but right now the one he cared about the most was fighting for her life on an operating table. Thinking about it was beginning to become too much to bear. The last person he had been this close to was his sister... he didn't want to lose Usagi too. He loved her more than anything else in the world.  
  
Another nurse came out & talked to the others without Mamoru even noticing. Makoto left to get prepped to give blood to Usagi since they were both Type O. [A.N. hehehe I checked it out in my manga! ^_^]  
  
"Mamoru." Motoki walked over & sat down beside him. "Answer me, please." Mamoru gave no response as he continued to stare at the floor. "Mamoru. Come back." Motoki put his hand on his shoulder. "You're beginning to lose it, come back."  
  
"Usako." He said. "I can't live if she doesn't."  
  
"Get a grip. She'll be okay, just wait & see."  
  
"I hope you're right. I need her."  
  
*~*~* 2 Hours Later *~*~*  
  
Nurse Kaori came out of the O.R. wiping her eyes. "Kaori-san!" Mamoru ran up to her, the first time he had moved from his spot for the past 2 hours. "How is Usako?" Everyone else blinked a little when they heard 'Usako'.  
  
"She's in stable condition... I think she's going to be okay..." Kaori smiled. Everyone sighed with relief & hugged & cried.  
  
"Oh Thank God!" Mamoru smiled as Motoki hugged him.  
  
After a few minutes of celebrating Minako turned to Mamoru. "Did you just call her 'Usako'?" She asked the question that was in the back of everyone else's minds.  
  
Mamoru blinked & smiled as his face tinted pink. "Yes..."  
  
"Since when?" Rei joined Minako.  
  
"I don't know. A while now, I guess." He replied. The other girls began to join in with questions & Mamoru sighed.  
  
*~*~* Usagi's Hospital Room, the Next Day *~*~*  
  
The girls & Shingo were at school & Usagi's father & Motoki were at work. It was only Mamoru & Ikuko at the hospital. Ikuko was at the moment, down the hall at the nursery window watching her new granddaughter. Mamoru had stayed by Usagi's bedside all night long.  
  
His hand holding hers he was half asleep when she stirred. His head lifted up off the bed as her eyes fluttered open. She looked over & smiled at him. "Mamo-chan."  
  
"Usako!" Mamoru exclaimed.  
  
Usagi was taken aback by his enthusiasm & that was when she realized that she had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was talking with Mamoru in the restaurant. "Mamo-chan... Where am I?"  
  
"The hospital. You fell in the restaurant."  
  
"I FELL?!" Usagi exclaimed. She then looked over at her stomach and yelped.  
  
"Usako!" Mamoru whispered. "It's ok, it's okay." He rubbed his thumb over her cheek as he held her face in his hand. "The baby's okay."  
  
"What... what happened?"  
  
"You hit your head on the table & were knocked unconscious when you fell... when we were in the ambulance you started bleeding pretty heavily & everyone thought the baby was dead. She's alright though, just a few bumps & bruises..."  
  
"She?" Usagi asked quietly as a little smile began tugging at the corners of her mouth.  
  
"Yeah. You have a little girl."  
  
"Ha! I was right!" Usagi cheered.  
  
"You know, for someone who has just been through all that you've been through, you're sure energetic." Mamoru smiled.  
  
"I'm so happy! I can't even feel anything else. I don't even know how to explain this. When can I see her?" Usagi began sitting up.  
  
"I don't think you should get up right now." He eased her back down. "You're mother's down there right now, anyway."  
  
"My mom? Why is she here?"  
  
"Usako... you should go back to sleep, I'll explain it all later."  
  
"Mamo-chan?... Please, tell me. Why?"  
  
"Usako, I'm sorry. " He said as he looked in her eyes. "Yesterday, I honestly didn't think that I'd ever get to talk to you again."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I thought you were going to die..."  
  
"Eh?" Usagi blinked.  
  
"Usako, you almost died. It was a miracle that you & the baby both lived. Everyone came from school & Shingo called your parents."  
  
"I... almost died?" She was in disbelief.  
  
"You don't know how thankful I am today. I was so scared I'd lost you." Mamoru kissed her forehead gently.  
  
"Mamo-chan..."  
  
"Get some rest, Usako. I promise I'll still be here when you wake up."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Mamoru-kun." Kaori came into the hospital room to check on Usagi. "How's she doing?"  
  
"Pretty good. She woke up about an hour ago. I told her about what had happened."  
  
"Have you gone to see the baby yet?" Kaori was a good friend of his. She had known him since he started working at the hospital.  
  
"Nah. I'll wait until Usako can see her as well." Mamoru smiled.  
  
"Mamoru-kun... everyone's been wondering... is she your baby? Are you the father?"  
  
"No, she's not my baby... But I suppose that I'll be her father, if Usako lets me."  
  
"Are you serious? How are you so close to Usagi?"  
  
"She's been living with me for the past 6 or so months."  
  
"So she's the girl that you were always talking about. We all thought she was older."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Is she your girlfriend?"  
  
"No. We just live together."  
  
"But you love her."  
  
"Well, yeah, of course I love her. She's amazing. Talk to her for 5 minutes & you'll understand completely." Mamoru smiled.  
  
"I'm sure I would. Well, I have to keep going, I've got other patients to see. I was just worried about how she was doing this afternoon."  
  
"Alright then. I'll see you around later then."  
  
Kaori stopped at the door. "Oh, Mamoru-kun."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You have a beautiful daughter." Kaori smiled as she left.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Chiba-kun... are you in love with my daughter?" Ikuko asked as they sat in chairs on either side of Usagi's bed.  
  
Mamoru couldn't help but blush a bit & laugh nervously. This woman was direct; this was the first thing she had said to him all day. "Yes. Yes I am." He admitted proudly.  
  
"I see... Has Usagi been living with you all this time?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Did all of her friends know? We asked them all & they wouldn't tell us where she was."  
  
"She didn't want anyone to tell you where she was. She was so ashamed of the way you both reacted when she told you that she was pregnant."  
  
"We didn't mean it. We were just so shocked. I never thought Usagi would be the kind of girl that would go out & get preg-"  
  
"But she didn't!" Mamoru's defences went up. "She didn't WANT this to happen & it WASN'T her fault." He said. "Did you even let her explain to you what happened?"  
  
"No." Ikuko said quietly.  
  
"So you have no idea? Did Shingo-kun tell you anything?"  
  
"Shingo?"  
  
"He knows what happened. He also knew Usako was with me. He came to visit once a week."  
  
"He did?"  
  
"Yes." Mamoru replied. "I think... I better explain to you Usako's case." He took a deep breath. "You see... she was raped... by a boy in her school. I was the first one to know; I could tell something was wrong from the first moment I saw after. I was just trying to help her out with everything but then she found out that she was pregnant." Ikuko was crying. "Do you know how hard it was for her to try to tell you what had happened? She was terrified. She almost killed herself. Do you think that she would want you to know where she was after the way you acted?"  
  
"You're not the one who did this to her?.."  
  
"No. I'm not." He replied.  
  
"Chiba-kun..."  
  
"You can call me Mamoru."  
  
"Mamoru-kun... I want to thank you for taking such good care of Usagi."  
  
"It's not a problem. You have a wonderful daughter."  
  
"I know. I hope she can forgive me..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Usagi had woken up not long after Mamoru & Ikuko's talk & had her own talk with her mother as Mamoru went for a walk to stretch his legs & get some coffee. His walk led him all around the hospital as he talked to all the nurses, doctors & aids that he had met during his rotations. [A.N. I'd imagine that people in med school would have to work at the hospitals in all of the different wards & such... my sis is in nursing & that's what she has to do. Meh ^_^] He met up with Ikuko in the hall as she was about to leave. "You're going now?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm going home to meet Shingo when he gets off school. We'll be back after dinner. Will you be staying here with her?"  
  
"Of course." Mamoru smiled. "See you later."  
  
Mamoru continued on his way to Usagi's room. "Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked her when he got back.  
  
"Good. I'm a little sore; the pain killers are starting to wear off... but hey, how are you?" Usagi asked.  
  
"Me? I'm fine."  
  
"Did you really stay by my side since I got out of surgery?"  
  
"Yeah." He admitted with a little smile.  
  
"Mamo-chan? When can I see her?"  
  
"I don't know. Is now a good time?" He grinned as a nurse, as if on cue, walked in the room carrying a small baby wrapped in a little pink blanket.  
  
"Aw!" Usagi gasped quietly as the nurse placed her in her arms.  
  
"I'll be right back." Mamoru quickly left the room & headed down the hall. "She's so beautiful!" he beamed as he saw Kaori.  
  
"I know. I told you she was." Kaori smiled.  
  
"No... I mean, Usako. She's never been so beautiful." He turned & ran back down the hall.  
  
"Mamo-chan? Where did you go?" Usagi looked up at him as he walked back in the room.  
  
"Nowhere important." He sat down beside her & looked at the baby with the blonde hair & light green eyes. "She's adorable." She smiled at Usagi.  
  
"Mamo-chan... I was talking to my mom... she said she wanted me to come back home & that she was sorry."  
  
"Oh?" Mamoru held his breath. "What did you say?"  
  
"I forgive her & Papa, but... would it be okay if I still stayed with you?"  
  
"Of course!" Mamoru smiled brightly. He was so relieved. "So, you were having such a hard time thinking of a name for her before... have you decided?" He asked as he looked down at the baby.  
  
"Yeah." Usagi replied. "I think I'll name her Miyako."  
  
Mamoru smiled. "Thank you."  
  
And they kissed.  
  
THE END  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He-yo! So, what did you think? I hope you all liked my fic. There was so much that I had changed from my original plan. It wasn't until the part where Mamoru was leaving in the restaurant that I decided to make Usagi fall... I usually write spontaneously b/c it's fun not knowing exactly where they are going... it's almost like I'm reading it myself. ^_^; Please review! I might write another fic in the future when Miyako is older... but I'll wait & see. ^_^ I'd just like to thank you all for being so supportive, it means so much to me & I really feel like I've matured as an author since my first fic. 


	11. Important Message!

ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA MINNA-SAN! YAY! 100 REVIEWS! AND TO CELEBRATE, I'M  
ANNOUNCING THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST CHAPTER OF "MIYAKO" THE  
CONTINUATION. PLEASE GO CHECK IT OUT! 


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